BY MFANUFIKILE KHATHWANE
MBABANE – Minister of Agriculture Hon. Mandla Tshawuka has announced that Government will roll out a nationwide Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) mass vaccination programme in early February 2026 at a total cost of E90 million.
The announcement was made during a press briefing held on January 12, 2026, following Parliament’s approval of an additional E57 million, bringing total funding for the programme to E90 million, including the E38 million already spent.
The Minister said the mass vaccination programme is a critical step in containing recurring FMD outbreaks and restoring stability in the livestock sector.
He further revealed that Dr Tshenolo Pebe of the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) is currently in Eswatini on a technical mission with the Ministry of Agriculture to identify the specific FMD strains affecting local livestock. The findings will guide the selection and production of vaccines that match the virus circulating in the country.
The BVI team previously visited Eswatini on October 6, 2025, where samples were collected for laboratory analysis. According to the ministry, the team has now returned with updates from those samples and will also collect new samples from recent outbreaks in the Shiselweni Region, particularly around Zombodze Emuva and Makhondza.
The Minister warned that mass vaccination alone will not eliminate FMD if illegal movement of livestock and meat continues. He condemned the ongoing disregard of movement restrictions, stressing that such practices undermine national efforts and risk reintroducing the virus even after vaccination.
“Vaccination must be supported by strict compliance with livestock movement controls if we are to succeed,” the minister said, calling on the nation to cooperate with the ministry’s containment measures.
FMD outbreaks have affected the Shiselweni, Lubombo and Manzini regions, with the disease even impacting the minister’s own herd, highlighting the urgency of decisive action.
To support farmers while containment efforts continue, government has reopened the sale of cattle for slaughter under strict abattoir conditions.
The ministry is also addressing long-term prevention by working to rehabilitate cordon fences, identified as a key point of entry for infected livestock. Government has engaged the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which procured the fences, to ensure they are repaired to prevent cross-border livestock movement from Mozambique and South Africa.
Meanwhile, Dr Pebe dismissed claims that the Botswana vaccine production plant is not operational, stating that the facility is fully functional and was only closed in October and November last year for routine annual servicing.
With targeted vaccination, improved biosecurity and strengthened regional cooperation, government says Eswatini is better positioned to curb the spread of Foot-and-Mouth Disease and protect the national herd.
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