{"id":83252,"date":"2026-04-21T06:31:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T06:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-mess-likely-an-inside-job-prof-masupu"},"modified":"2026-04-21T07:31:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T07:31:09","slug":"fmd-mess-likely-an-inside-job-prof-masupu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-mess-likely-an-inside-job-prof-masupu","title":{"rendered":"FMD Mess Likely an Inside Job-Prof Masupu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. <\/strong><\/span>Renowned veterinarian and epidemiologist Prof Kereng Masupu, who led the 1995 cattle lung disease response that resulted in the culling of over 300,000 cattle, has linked the recent FMD outbreak to possible internal sabotage, saying evidence points to an internal breach, contrary to claims of external sabotage<\/b><\/p>\n

Veteran veterinarian and epidemiologist, Professor Kereng Masupu has raised alarm over possible internal sabotage at the Ramatlabama Artificial Insemination Centre following the recent outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), intensifying scrutiny on biosecurity systems at one of the country\u2019s most sensitive livestock facilities.<\/p>\n

Professor Masupu said while authorities are investigating a suspected cyber-extortion link, evidence on the ground points more convincingly to an internal breach.<\/p>\n

STRINGENT CONTROLS IN PLACE<\/p>\n

Masupu said the stringent biosecurity protocols typically enforced during outbreaks make it highly unlikely that the virus could have entered the country or facility through conventional external channels.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder normal outbreak conditions, surveillance at border posts is significantly heightened,\u201d he explained. \u201cThere are stringent controls in place, and any potential contaminants are subjected to decontamination processes that would effectively destroy the virus.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that such measures severely limit the possibility of infected materials slipping through undetected, thereby casting doubt on theories of cross-border transmission.<\/p>\n

GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATES<\/p>\n

The concerns come as government probes a potential link between the outbreak and a ransom demand made to the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC). Acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Edwin Dikoloti, recently confirmed that the BMC received an email in February from an unknown sender demanding USD 500,000, with threats to deliberately spread FMD if the demand was not met.<\/p>\n

A follow-up email reportedly sent on March 8 questioned why the initial demand had been ignored, raising fears of agro-terrorism targeting Botswana\u2019s critical beef industry.<\/p>\n

However, Masupu cautioned against overemphasizing the cyber angle, noting that the physical realities of the outbreak suggest a breach from within.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven these barriers, it is highly unlikely that the virus was imported. This raises the possibility that the outbreak could be the result of internal actions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

SECURITY CONCERNS MOUNT<\/p>\n

Echoing Masupu\u2019s assessment, former Minister of Agriculture, Molebatsi Molebatsi, said the theory of an inside job cannot be dismissed.<\/p>\n

He described the Ramatlabama facility as a high-security installation with tightly controlled access, constant monitoring, and the presence of law enforcement and intelligence personnel.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecurity personnel have always been part of the centre, and access is tightly controlled,\u201d Molebatsi said. \u201cGiven the level of security in place, the likelihood of an internal breach cannot be ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n

BIOSECURITY UNDER THE MICROSCOPE<\/p>\n

The unfolding situation has sparked broader concerns about internal controls within Botswana\u2019s livestock value chain, particularly at strategic facilities tasked with safeguarding the country\u2019s disease-free status \u2014 a cornerstone of its beef export market.<\/p>\n

As investigations continue, pressure is mounting on authorities to not only establish the source of the outbreak but also restore confidence in the country\u2019s biosecurity systems amid growing fears of deliberate sabotage.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Botswana<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. Renowned veterinarian and epidemiologist Prof Kereng Masupu, who led the 1995 cattle lung disease response that resulted in the culling of over 300,000 cattle, has linked the recent FMD outbreak to possible internal sabotage, saying evidence points to an internal breach, contrary to claims of external sabotage Veteran veterinarian and epidemiologist, Professor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":83250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-83252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"\nFMD Mess Likely an Inside Job-Prof Masupu - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Renowned veterinarian and epidemiologist Prof Kereng Masupu, who led the 1995 cattle lung disease response that resul ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-mess-likely-an-inside-job-prof-masupu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FMD Mess Likely an Inside Job-Prof Masupu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Renowned veterinarian and epidemiologist Prof Kereng Masupu, who led the 1995 cattle lung disease response that resul ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-mess-likely-an-inside-job-prof-masupu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Botswana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-21T06:31:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-21T07:31:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2026\/04\/sm_1776743995.637859.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-mess-likely-an-inside-job-prof-masupu#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-mess-likely-an-inside-job-prof-masupu\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"FMD Mess Likely an Inside Job-Prof Masupu\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-21T06:31:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-21T07:31:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-mess-likely-an-inside-job-prof-masupu\"},\"wordCount\":506,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-mess-likely-an-inside-job-prof-masupu#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2026\/04\/sm_1776743995.637859.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Botswana\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-mess-likely-an-inside-job-prof-masupu#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-mess-likely-an-inside-job-prof-masupu\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-mess-likely-an-inside-job-prof-masupu\",\"name\":\"FMD Mess Likely an Inside Job-Prof Masupu - 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