January Disease Kills Thousands Of Cattle While Gvt Watches
20 June 2018
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Facebook Post By Alex Magaisa|There’s an unfolding tragedy in the Wedza area. Cattle are dying in large numbers. The cause of death, I’m told, is a tick-borne disease called Theileriosis. It is more commonly known by its colloquial name: January Disease, a terrible calamity given the accounts I have heard.

One family in the Gandamasungo area woke up one morning to find 17 of their cattle dead. The grim reaper had arrived in the dark of the night, while they slept peacefully in their homes. The Gandamasungo area is my mother’s home and it is very close to my heart. My young sekurus, who now head the village reported that they have so far lost 3 cattle. They too woke up to find that they had died. They are not alone. Some have lost more.

Others have sold their cattle to cut losses. Apparently, cattle are going for as little as $50 per beast, as villagers scurry to get something out of their store of wealth. Or they would lose everything. Others are just holding on, hoping the hand of fortune will bless their cattle and save them from the calamity.

The problem, I’m told, is because there are no chemicals for the dip tanks in the rural areas and this disease prevention mechanism has virtually broken down. It’s a systems failure. Those who have capacity can resort to self-help measures. In our case, family in the diaspora came to the rescue and did some research, utilising contacts among the Veterinarian community in Harare. The family managed to get some medication at a factory in Graniteside – Butachem at $23 a bottle! I can’t imagine many villagers can afford that. Our sekurus say their cattle are showing signs of improvement and recovery, but it’s early days yet. Even so, it’s not enough if other cattle in the area are also affected.

Many villagers can not afford the cost of the medication, which exposes everyone else. When I posted this on Twitter yesterday there was an avalanche of reports from Wedza and many other areas across the country which suggests that this is a national problem – perhaps an epidemic. It has been silently wiping out heads as politicians buy and dish out T-shirts campaigning for power.

I don’t know if the government is aware of the scale of the problem. I’m told the disease has spread to the Rusunzwe area of Wedza, which is in the vicinity of VP Chiwenga’s home village. Maybe now that trouble is at the door of important people, it will get more attention. That is not how it should be but in our society leaders tend act when they are personally affected.

I feel terribly sorry for the villagers who have lost their cattle. I grew up in the village and i know what cattle mean to the villagers. We knew all our cattle by name and we were closely attached to each and every one of them. The loss of one to preventable disease will be personally felt by the villagers.

Many reports I have read indicate that whole herds are being wiped out at once, leaving the peasants empty-handed. Anyone who knows a bit about village life knows how much villagers value their cattle. It is a store of wealth. It is a source of pride. It is a source of power for many activities. This very source of livelihood is under threat in the Wedza area and it seems, in large parts of the country.

I do hope someone in government takes serious notice of the calamity that has visited the land and acts promptly to save livelihoods.

WaMagaisa