NHLANGANO – Acting Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla visited foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) control checkpoints across the Shiselweni region on Saturday, 31 May 2025, as government tightened disease containment measures in response to a recent outbreak.
The tour formed part of efforts to raise national awareness, monitor the implementation of preventative steps, and encourage public cooperation in stopping the spread of the livestock disease. Dladla, joined by a high-level delegation including agriculture officials, NDMA representatives, MPs, police and Shiselweni Regional Administrator Themba Masuku, moved between multiple checkpoints to observe ongoing operations.
At each site, vehicles were seen undergoing fumigation, a measure being managed by the National Disaster Management Agency as a frontline defence against the virus. Officials have been tasked with ensuring that all cars, trucks, and farming equipment moving in or out of controlled areas are properly disinfected.
Dladla instructed officers at the checkpoints to carry out their duties thoroughly and without favouritism. She also appealed for consistency and cooperation from the public, noting that containing the disease depends on collective effort.
National Commissioner of Police Manoma Masango addressed the role of community policing during the tour, urging local volunteers to intensify their support in the affected areas. He stressed that community involvement was vital to ensure both order and effective enforcement of containment zones.
FMD poses a serious threat to Eswatini’s livestock sector. The viral disease affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep, and causes fever, mouth blisters, and foot lesions that severely affect feeding and mobility. It spreads easily through contact with infected animals or contaminated surfaces including vehicles, clothing and farm tools.
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