KwaZulu-Natal Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa joined her national counterpart John Steenhuisen in a meeting with AmaZulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini on Friday 21 February 2025 at eMashobeni Royal Palace, outside Nongoma. The meeting comes amid rising levels of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in the province. There are currently over 130 active FMD outbreaks within communal dip tanks, a few small-scale farms and five game reserves in KwaZulu-Natal. Among areas affected are King Cetshwayo, uMkhanyakude and Zululand Districts.

Speaking with the media after a meeting with the Hon. Steenhuisen and the Amazulu King, Hon. kaMadlopha-Mthethwa announced that all 2,207 dip tanks will now have registrars. As one of the measures to control the disease, kaMadlopha-Mthethwa said the registrars will be tasked with the responsibility of coordinating the dipping of cattle, keeping records of animals, arranging vaccinations and dipping chemicals and the overall well-being and management of the dip tanks. KaMadlopha-Mthethwa then assured the small-scale farmers that the government is in control of the situation and called on the farmers in the affected Districts to cooperate with the government.

"In the fight to contain the spread of Foot-and-Mouth (FMD), we are advising farmers within these Districts to contact the Department in case they wish to move their animals and be guided accordingly. The clinical surveillance is still underway to ensure early detection of FMD."

"We are conducting vaccinations across the province to ensure that animals are free from any tick-borne disease. In KwaZulu-Natal, the challenge is made worse and complicated by the FMD carrier status of buffalo populations in some game reserves in close proximity to communal livestock and borderline areas. FMD is a cause for concern as it has a negative impact on red meat production and its export prospects,"