FMD crisis: A tale of two countries
Friday, February 13, 2026 | 450 Views |
Torn down: The border fence has broken down, allowing people, vehicles and animals through with ease PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE
JACKALAS NO. 1: In the heart of Jackalas 1, the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) crisis has brought livestock farming to a grinding halt. The community is reeling from the devastating impact of the disease, which has spread rapidly across the border from Zimbabwe. With the border fence destroyed, cattle are roaming freely, infecting healthy animals and spreading the disease further.
In an interview with a Mmegi news crew, Jackalas 1 Farmers' committee chairperson, Dignity Mtombeni, highlighted the challenges posed by the destroyed border fence, which allows for unrestricted movement of people and animals between Botswana and Zimbabwe.
When the State cannot rely on its own machinery to pursue suspected wrongdoing, repairing that machinery must become a national priority.The establishment of a Special Investigations and Asset Recovery Task Force may help government respond to the immediate challenge. However, Botswana cannot afford to leave the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) struggling whilst building...