FMD crisis turns political
Spira Tlhankane | Wednesday September 16, 2026 06:00
The BCP, through its shadow minister for Lands and Agriculture, Kesitegile Gobotswang, recently issued a strongly recently worded press statement described the government’s handling of the outbreak as a failure.
Gobotswang demanded an overhaul of the country’s disease response, including the abolition of the national and district command centres, a full account of the P97 million committed to the response, and the establishment of an FMD relief fund for farmers.
The party’s intervention comes as the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture continues a series of community engagements across affected districts.
It is during these sessions that veterinary officials attempt to convince farmers that vaccination, movement controls, surveillance, fencing, and cooperation remain the best defence against the outbreak.
Instead of remedying the situation, the engagements are now exposing growing frustration amongst farmers.
Of particular concern to the pastoralists are the destruction of cattle that cross containment boundaries and the financial hardship caused by restrictions on the movement and sale of livestock.
The latest flashpoint is Kgatleng, where laboratory investigations confirmed FMD at Oodi, Dikwididi and Mochudi East extension areas in Zone 11.
The confirmation followed the ministry’s September 4 announcement of suspected cases at the Marapong crush in the Oodi extension area, as well as Rabotsiripa, Masarweng, and Tomosi crushes in the Mochudi extension area.
The ministry subsequently confirmed on September 11 that the suspected cases had tested positive, triggering emergency vaccination, tighter movement controls, surveillance and biosecurity measures.
Also, the development has complicated government’s efforts to relax some restrictions in Zone 11.
Director of Veterinary Services Dr Kobedi Segale said recently there were preparations underway to relax some of the FMD control measures, but the discovery of new cases in Kgatleng had prevented the move.
For Gobotswang, however, the continued spread of the disease represents evidence that the government’s strategy has failed.
“Eight months later, transmission is still active in the south,” he said, pointing to outbreaks recorded in Zone 6b, Zone 3c, Zone 11, and Zone 13. He accused the government of spending heavily on a response that had failed to contain the disease.
“This is not misfortune. This is neglect, dressed up as a response,” Gobotswang added.
The BCP legislator’s criticism comes at a particularly difficult moment for Botswana’s cattle industry, with farmers facing restrictions on where they can move cattle, reduced market access and, in some cases, the destruction of animals.
On September 1, Gaborone High Court Justice Onkemetse Tshosa dismissed with costs an urgent application brought by feedlot operators JS Beef (Pty) Ltd and Primefast (Pty) Ltd in their battle over FMD restrictions.
The court ruled that the application was not urgent. The two feedlotters had complained that approximately 6,600 cattle had remained in their facilities for more than 200 days beyond their intended slaughter dates.
Their stay meant additional feeding costs estimated at P27 million, the farmers argued.
They had sought relief allowing them to slaughter or export the affected cattle, arguing that they were not asking the court to dismantle government’s broader FMD control measures.
Government opposed the application, arguing that the relief sought would effectively require the court to interfere with executive policy and decision-making.
The State also maintained that the urgency claimed by the applicants was self-created and that the dispute was substantially driven by the economic difficulties faced by the two companies.
The court battle has become another illustration of the collision between disease-control policy and the economic survival of businesses and farmers caught inside restricted zones.
Farmers have subsequently reacted angrily to the dismissal, warning that the ruling could deepen the pressure on an industry already struggling under FMD restrictions.
As the political battle intensifies, the ministry says it is tightening its response.
Deputy Permanent Secretary Dr Motshegwa described the Kgatleng District as a 'gateway' that links with Central and Kweneng, and stressed that cooperation between farmers and government would be critical.
Farmers were warned that failure to herd cattle, together with the presence of stray animals, could undermine disease-control efforts.
Specific concerns were raised about matimela, ownerless or stray cattle, and that such animals posed a particular challenge during vaccination because there may be nobody responsible for bringing them forward.
The ministry states that the vaccination programme will involve three doses administered one month apart, whilst more intensive containment fencing is being pursued.
At Artesia, residents told government officials that porous and damaged fences were making cattle control difficult, with some fences reportedly vandalised and lacking gates. The community has since called for greater participation in the construction and strengthening of containment fences.
At another community engagement with Bangwaketse, however, the conversation turned sharply towards the destruction of livestock.
Concerns were raised over the destruction of animals in the Kanye area, saying affected farmers had not been adequately informed about the process or the reasons behind the killings. Farmers questioned why animals crossing from containment areas into animal-free areas could not first be tested and quarantined instead of automatically facing destruction.
Segale has defended the containment approach, explaining that livestock inside the containment zone could have different vaccination statuses and that movement across zones could increase the risk of transmission.
He warned that animals moving from containment areas into green, or animal-free, areas could potentially spread the disease if they were infected or exposed.
The government has also warned communities against vandalising fences or leaving containment gates open, saying breaches could allow cattle to move into restricted areas and potentially trigger measures resulting in the destruction of exposed animals.
But Gobotswang says fencing, vaccination, and surveillance cannot be divorced from the broader question of accountability.
He has called for the abolition of the National and District FMD Command Centres, arguing that they have become expensive political structures rather than effective disease-control mechanisms.
“The National and District FMD Command Centres must be abolished immediately,” Gobotswang said.
He argued that resources should instead be channelled directly to the Department of Veterinary Services for surveillance, early detection, rapid response, biosecurity and the rehabilitation of cordon fences.
Gobotswang has also demanded that government table before Parliament a detailed account of how the P97 million committed to fighting FMD was spent.
“How much on vaccines, how much on vehicles and fuel, how much on allowances, and how much on the Command Centre itself?” he questioned.
The BCP further criticised government for seeking private donations towards the FMD response, arguing that taxpayers already fund veterinary services.
His most politically potent demand, however, is for an FMD Relief Fund. Gobotswang says farmers whose cattle are culled or die from the disease should not be left to shoulder what he described as the cost of a national failure.
He proposed that the fund would also support farmers trapped in quarantine zones and extend relief to abattoirs, transporters, and suppliers affected by movement restrictions.
In Kole, Charleshill District, residents recently told the Assistant Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Motsamai Motsamai, that the disease had severely disrupted their livelihoods and livestock businesses.
They called for the government to review the provision of livestock feed and consider subsidies to cushion small-scale farmers from the economic impact.
Motsamai acknowledged the severity of the crisis, saying FMD had disrupted the cattle industry, livelihoods and families, whilst significantly reducing the value of cattle.
He urged farmers to comply with disease-control measures so that affected areas could eventually regain green-zone status and cattle trading could resume. The ministry has also indicated that the long-awaited containment fence is being completed in phases, with officials previously saying the work is expected to progress towards completion by the end of September.
The latest ministry engagements suggest that the battle is now being fought on two fronts which are against the virus itself and against growing distrust amongst farmers over how the outbreak is being managed.
Government maintains that movement controls, vaccination, surveillance, fencing and biosecurity are necessary to prevent the disease from spreading into animal-free areas.
Segale has said the measures are beginning to yield progress, whilst cautioning that the discovery of fresh cases means restrictions cannot yet be relaxed.
The ministry’s latest position is, therefore, one of cautious progress rather than victory whilst Gobotswang’s position is considerably less forgiving.
“Botswana has overcome tougher challenges than this, but never by press conference.
“Our farmers are not asking for sympathy. They are asking for the protection their government is paid to provide, and which it has failed to provide,” he said.
Gobotswang warned that every week of delay carries another economic cost to farmers, workers, businesses, and the national economy.
The political temperature is, therefore, rising alongside the disease-control operation and now for government, the immediate task is to contain the Kgatleng outbreak, prevent further spread, and restore confidence amongst farmers.