Orange River fence work begins

Construction of a veterinary cordon fence along the Orange River on Namibia's border with South Africa has begun. The government hopes the fence will prevent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) from spreading beyond the affected areas in the //Kharas Region. According to the agriculture ministry, the project is expected to be completed within four months.

Agriculture minister Inge Zaamwani confirmed that work had started following a two-day visit to the Karasburg Veterinary District on 9 and 10 October. Accompanied by //Kharas governor Dawid Gertze and constituency councillor James Hawanga, she inspected high-risk sections of the border. Construction is underway near Homerevier, with the fence expected to extend to Velloorsdrift.

The ministry did not disclose the planned length of the fence, its cost or the contractor responsible for construction. The Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) had previously cancelled the regular tender process because of the FMD threat and switched to emergency procurement (AZ reported).

Construction of a separate fence to contain the outbreak zone is also expected to begin during the week of 12 October. The necessary materials have already been delivered, while consultations with affected farmers are nearing completion.

Preparations are also underway to vaccinate livestock. Most vaccination teams had already arrived, according to the ministry. However, it did not specify when vaccinations would begin or how many animals would be covered.

Zaamwani also inspected roadblocks and equipment available to frontline teams. With long queues causing delays, additional personnel are expected to be deployed. The minister stressed that disease-control checks must remain in place throughout the night.

The FMD outbreak was confirmed in the Karasburg Veterinary District on 23 September. By 6 October, a total of 129 animal samples from 17 farms had tested positive.