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Swaziland Cattle farmers losing cattle because of FMD |
SOCIAL CONDITION
For the far-flung communities of Tsambokhulu and Mafuculu,
nestling in
valleys among the Mananga and Lubombo Mountains
in the north-east of the
tiny kingdom of Swaziland,
cattle still remain both an irreplaceable traditional
symbol of wealth,
and an invaluable source of revenue
With the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in these poverty-stricken areas, the hapless rural communities can only stand by and watch the security forces shoot their cattle in an effort to stem the dread disease. Seething with anger, cattle farmer Michael Silombo, who owns 39 cattle, aptly sums up the overwhelming anger and desperation of all his colleagues: «How I wish these heavily armed soldiers and police sent by government to kill our cattle, could just blow our brains out so we don’t have to watch our only source of livelihood in this neglected area, being slaughtered».
No compensation
The incensed cattle farmers rejected the government’s initial directive that they had to see that their own cattle were put down, without any compensation being offered. Another farmer, Samuel Mashele, explains they had stopped the veterinary officers from killing their animals because they hadn’t received any notification from the government. He said they were astounded when the senior officer, Dr. Xolani Dlamini, told them he had come to kill all their infected cattle.
To pacify the enraged farmers, Dlamini told them that a delegation of veterinarians had been sent to King Mswati III to report the outbreak of the disease, and to explain what action was necessary to control it. Mashele then said: «We told the vets to wait for their delegation to return with the King’s answer before they proceeded to shoot our infected cattle. We wanted to get a satisfactory answer on the thorny issue of compensation before we’d allow them to kill our animals. It’s insensitive of our government not to compensate us for our source of livelihood. Why can’t our government follow the example of the South African government which paid their adequate compensation to their infected cattle farmers».
One sweltering Saturday morning, I visited Mafucula and Tsambokhulu. I could see throngs of herd-boys bringing in cattle for examination, culling and vaccination by the government veterinarian officers. Hundreds of infected cattle came limping and drooling at the mouth. Dr. Dlamini explained this is an obvious symptom of FMD. He emphasised the need to control the spread of the disease for the general good of the whole Swazi economy. He disclosed that they had already identified 230 infected cattle by midday. «It’s imperative that people take the foot and mouth disease seriously in these affected areas, because Swaziland stands to lose its quota of permitted exports to the European Union (EU). This disease is placed high on the list of cattle diseases. We’re not here just to destroy their animals but to save the situation. Let’s all try to save what we can before it wipes out the nation’s entire cattle population».
Any cow found to be infected is branded by having the ends of its tail cut off before being herded towards the slaughter kraal.
One cattle farmer, Boy Mahelela, watches unbelievingly as the vets identify six of his nine cattle as positive. He says: «My cattle are an invaluable source of livelihood to my small family. I’m unemployed and was banking on my cattle as a means for survival. I used to sell some to raise school fees for my five school-going children. I’ve also pledged them as collateral to the bank for my cotton-growing loan. I don’t know what to do now, because I’m only left with three».
Shortage of grazing land
Why should FMD have come to this corner of Africa? Silombo clearly blames the government for its failure to address the shortage of grazing land in Tsambokhulu. He explains that their cattle grazing land was taken from them by people who had been resettled from Ngomane to Mafucula. This took place during the reign of King Sobhuza, who resettled them in 1982 when he established the Royal Swaziland Sugar Corporation popularly known as Simunye Sugar Estate.
Another farmer, Mpumelelo Mahlalela, echoes his sentiments: «When these people from Ngomane came, they took all our fertile land and grazing land. So now we’re faced with the shortage of grazing land.»
There’s another rumour going the rounds that FMD has spread into Swaziland from neighbouring South Africa, because farmers have cut the border fence separating these two countries. While conceding that their cattle do cross over to Tsambokhulu or Mbuzini in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province, the farmers deny they cut the fence themselves. «Whoever is caught tampering with the fence, we deal with him accordingly. In any case, the border fence is guarded day and night by soldiers on both sides.». The cattle farmers argue that their cattle cross over to South Africa on their own, through gaps left when the fence crosses rocky terrain or when wild animals have dug holes under the fence.
All in all, Swaziland’s cattle farmers are in dire straights and the government seems to be doing nothing to help them.
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