By Lebone Rodah Mosima
KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Free State, North West and Mpumalanga have all been confirmed with active cases of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak since the beginning of 2025, with 274 unresolved cases still recorded.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen confirmed that by the end of May 2025, positive cases had been detected across all cattle farming systems — including commercial beef herds, breeding animals, feedlots, dairy cattle, and communal herds.
“In KwaZulu-Natal, the outbreaks have continued to spread westward, with confirmed cases in eDumbe, Dundee, Danhauser, Newcastle, Alfred Duma, Okhahlamba, Mshwathi, eDumbe and eMadlangeni local municipalities,” said Steenhuisen.
He added that the spread of the virus from KwaZulu-Natal into Mpumalanga was linked to a livestock auction in February 2025. By late May, further outbreaks were reported in Gauteng, the North West, western Mpumalanga, and the Free State.
Investigations suggest both farm-to-farm transmission and “pinpoint” introductions through livestock movements where
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