The Western Cape has recorded one full month without new Foot and Mouth Disease cases.
Premier Alan Winde and Agriculture MEC Dr Ivan Meyer have confirmed that the last case was detected on March 22 in Prospect Hill, in Cape Town. Since then, suspected cases in Hessequa and Bonnievale have tested negative. The Garden Route’s last confirmed case was back in February.
Officials say vaccination remains the cornerstone of disease control, with over 161,000 vaccine doses administered at 730 sites. That represents 35 percent coverage across the province. The West Coast leads with 63 percent coverage. Cape Town follows with 56 percent.
The Cape Winelands and Garden Route trail at 35 and 31 percent respectively. Premier Alan Winde:
“It is really heartening to see how this province has pulled together to deal with this crisis, rolling out the 21 point plan, getting the vaccines into the market where they are needed most. So, this is very exciting. Obviously we must not stop. We have not dealt with this totally, but it is really good news when you can start seeing these indicators. For example, it’s been two months since a last case was recorded in the Garden Route.”
While this provides cautious optimism, the national FMD crisis continues, with 1,317 cases recorded nationwide across all nine provinces as of April 10, 2026.
Despite the progress, provincial officials emphasize that the threat remains and vaccination continues, with the West Coast recording 63% coverage
