KZN premier moves to classify FMD outbreak as provincial disaster

By Levy Masiteng 

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has formally moved to have the rapidly escalating foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak classified as a provincial disaster, as the province confronts mounting economic losses, growing threats to food security and increasing hardship for farmers and rural communities.

Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli announced the move during a media briefing in Durban on Friday, warning that the outbreak has reached a scale that threatens the province’s agricultural backbone and the livelihoods of thousands of households.

Ntuli said KwaZulu-Natal has become the epicentre of South Africa’s FMD outbreak.

Of the province’s estimated 2.5 million head of cattle, 207 cases of the highly contagious disease have been confirmed, with 187 cases still unresolved.

“This outbreak is no longer just an animal health issue,” Ntuli said.

“It is a social and economic crisis. Food security in the province is under pressure, livelihoods are at risk, and entire value chains are being