The
mysterious
illness,
which
farmers
say
causes
internal
rotting
and
primarily
attacks
the
lungs,
has
killed
dozens
of
cattle
in
recent
months.
Traditional
remedies
have
proven
ineffective,
and
villagers
say
the
lack
of
veterinary
support
and
dipping
facilities
has
worsened
the
crisis.
For
communities
like
Gankabezi,
cattle
are
not
just
animals,
they
are
a
store
of
wealth,
a
source
of
food,
draught
power,
and
income
for
school
fees
and
building
projects.
With
herds
decimated,
households
now
face
financial
ruin.
“We
used
to
earn
a
living
by
selling
cattle
to
take
kids
to
school
and
even
for
building.
I
sold
some
to
buy
food,”
said
Bekithemba
Thebe,
who
lost
21
cattle.
The
scale
of
the
loss
has
been
traumatic.
Gift
Ndlovu,
who
lost
his
entire
herd
save
for
a
few
calves,
described
the
emotional
toll:
“I
sometimes
lose
my
mind
when
I
think
about
the
property
that
I
lost.”
Some
families
lost
multiple
cattle
in
a
single
day.
Roger
Ncube
said
he
buried
15
animals
in
quick
succession.
The
situation
was dire,
with
some
villagers
losing
multiple
cattle in
a
single
day.
Roger
Ncube,
who
lost
15
cattle,
recounted
the
painful
experience.
“They
were
dying
in
numbers
a
day, we eventually
had
to
leave
some
to
rot
because
of
the
sheer
rate
of
death,”he
said.
Village
head
Sydney
Mthuthuki
Mkhwananzi
said
he
lost
19
cattle
and
recounted
how
his
father
died
from
stress
after
losing
five
animals
in
three
days.
Beyond
disease,
villagers
are
also
contending
with
poor
infrastructure
and
recurrent
droughts.
Their
only
borehole
has
been
vandalised
by
thieves,
and
there
is
no
reliable
access
to
vaccines
or
dipping
services.
“Now
we
are
being
told
that
there
is
no
vaccine,
cows
do
not
dip,”
said
Zephaniah
Nkomo,
who
lost
10
cattle.
Farmers’
organisations
confirm
the
situation
is
not
isolated.
Clarkson
Matshaya
from
the
Umzingwane
District
Farmers
Association
said
cattle
in
other
wards
had
also
succumbed
to
January
disease,
hunger,
and
veld
fires
caused
by
artisanal
miners.
Theft
of
livestock
is
also
on
the
rise.
Matshaya
urged
farmers
to
produce
fodder
and
called
on
authorities
to
provide
sustainable
solutions.
“Farmers
must
have
access
to
water
in
Umzingwane
and
Ncema
dams
for
fodder
production.
Rehabilitation
and
solarising
dip
tanks
would
also
help,”
he
said.
The
villagers
also
appealed
for
urgent
government
and
donor
support,
including
veterinary
services,
vaccines,
and
restocking
programmes
with
cattle
or
goats
to
restore
livelihoods
and
prevent
further
despair.
The
Matabeleland
South
Veterinary Services
Department
did
not
respond
to
questions
sent
to
them
at
the
time
of
publishing.