A cost we cannot afford to pay

The Monitor Editor | Wednesday April 15, 2026 10:11

It is not the multimillion-pula fence that failed us in Ramatlabama. It is not the cattle that wandered off on their own accord. The culprit in this latest, deeply frustrating outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is plainly and simply us, the people.

When a virus breaches a P65 million security fence at the Ramatlabama National Artificial Insemination Laboratory and Training Centre where the cattle have not moved an inch, the only logical explanation is human carelessness. It is a stark and uncomfortable truth. We are carrying this economic poison on the soles of our shoes, on our clothes, and in our vehicles. We are the weakest link in the defence of our national herd.

We understand the temptation to be complacent. FMD is a perennial headache, a recurring news story that can fade into background noise. But make no mistake, this is not merely a problem for cattle farmers in Zone 6B or the outskirts of Ramatlabama. This is a direct threat to every single Motswana who depends on a functioning economy. The beef sector is the lifeblood of our rural communities and a pillar of our national pride. When FMD spreads, borders close. When borders close, pay cheques shrink, and the price of everything else climbs.

The government can build walls as high as the sky and spend billions more on fencing, but the minister’s words make it clear that bricks and wire are useless against a careless driver or a hurried visitor. The plea is not for more money or more policy, but for more discipline. We must stop seeing protocols as a nuisance and start seeing them as a sacred duty. Wash those shoes. Disinfect that vehicle. And above all, respect the movement restrictions.

This is our country. The government is doing its part with infrastructure and surveillance. It is now time for Batswana to stand on their own two feet and do their part. Let us call each other out when we see risky behaviour, not out of malice, but out of a shared desire to protect our collective wealth. The cost of a few minutes of laziness at a checkpoint is the potential collapse of a market we have spent decades building. That is a price we simply cannot afford. Let us fix this, together.