National Disaster Declared Over Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak in South Africa
Farmers Magazine | 17.02.2026 14:04South Africa has officially classified the ongoing foot and mouth disease outbreak as a national disaster in terms of Section 23 of the Disaster Management Act, Act No. 57 of 2002. The declaration was made by Dr Elias Sithole, Head of the National Disaster Management Centre. The decision follows detailed reports assessing the scale and impact of the outbreak across multiple provinces. The affected provinces include the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and the Western Cape. The classification signals the seriousness of the outbreak and sets in motion coordinated national interventions.
