The Red Meat Producers’ Organisation Northern Cape (RPO NC) confirmed in a media release dated 8 February that official notification of a suspected case was received from the Northern Cape Department of Veterinary Services at 13:10 on Saturday, 7 February. Laboratory results have since confirmed the presence of FMD.
Farmer’s Weekly spoke to Yolande Botha, RPO NC operations officer, who confirmed that an animal health technician visited the affected farm at approximately 15:00 on the same afternoon that the suspected case was reported. Samples were collected and transported to Kimberley on Sunday, 8 February, and delivered to the laboratory on Monday morning, 9 February, for testing. The positive results were subsequently communicated to the relevant authorities and stakeholders.
The affected farm and adjacent premises were immediately placed under quarantine. In line with NATJOINTS Instruction 07 of 2026, which governs the national management of FMD outbreaks, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the state veterinarian are present on site to enforce strict animal movement controls in the area.
Botha confirmed that the RPO has remained in constant communication with the Department of Veterinary Services, emphasising that FMD is a state-controlled disease. The state veterinarian carries primary responsibility for its management, supported by organised agriculture and other stakeholders.
On Monday, 9 February, Northern Cape MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform, Lebogang Motlhaping, met with agricultural organisations including the RPO. The meeting addressed the province’s first confirmed case of FMD in the current wave of outbreaks. Discussions centred on reinforcing quarantine measures, tightening movement control, and protecting unaffected farming areas from further spread.
The operations officer reiterated the urgency of strict compliance with biosecurity protocols.
“Members are urgently requested to strictly adhere to all prescribed protocols, avoid unnecessary movement of animals, and apply biosecurity on farms without exception,” she stated.
Botha told Farmer’s Weekly that all parties are working together to contain the outbreak and prevent further spread within the province. The organisation’s contingency plan has been in place since January in anticipation of a possible incursion into the Northern Cape.
With this confirmation, FMD has now been recorded in all nine South African provinces, either as active outbreaks or within declared disease management or controlled areas. High incidences remain in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Gauteng, where control measures have been ongoing.
The confirmation of the Kuruman case represents a widening of the geographic footprint of the disease and raises serious concerns about biosecurity compliance and animal movement across provincial borders.
In response to a question from Farmer’s Weekly about how the virus may have entered the province, Botha explained that tracing the source of infection could take up to two weeks. Epidemiological investigations are now underway to determine the origin and any potential links to other outbreaks.
Agricultural stakeholders across the Northern Cape remain on high alert. Movement control, traceability, and on-farm biosecurity measures have been intensified as authorities work to prevent further spread and stabilise the situation.
The coming weeks will be critical in determining whether the outbreak can be successfully contained within the affected area, or whether further spread is inevitable.
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