THE official rollout of the much-anticipated foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) mass vaccination campaign hangs in the balance as veterinary assistants (bomadibhane) threaten a full boycott over longstanding grievances.
Although vaccinations have begun on a limited scale, the full campaign is scheduled for next week following the arrival of 70 000 vaccine doses last Friday. Government hopes the mass mobilisation will help curb the spread of the highly contagious disease, first reported in May last year at the Sikhwebezi dip tank.
However, veterinary assistants say they will not participate until unresolved financial issues are addressed.
The assistants are expected to convene today at the Manzini Veterinary Services offices for a decisive meeting. Spokesperson Thembinkhosi Zwane said they could no longer tolerate what he described as decades of financial neglect.
At the centre of the dispute are unpaid hardship allowances dating back to 2001, along with outstanding overtime claims linked to FMD containment operations in the Shiselweni, Manzini and Lubombo regions.
Zwane said while the outbreak demanded immediate and intensive labour from staff, government had failed to compensate them accordingly.
“It is unfair and unsustainable for us to respond to high-risk animal health emergencies without proper financial recognition and support,” he said.
Internal studies conducted in 2008 and 2015 reportedly recommended a three per cent hardship allowance for veterinary assistants and other frontline workers. Meeting minutes signed by Senior Management Analyst Maxwell Masuku also reflected similar recommendations, including proposals to compensate officers who ordinarily do not qualify for overtime due to the inherent hardship of their roles.
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However, workers say the recommendations were never implemented.
Beyond allowances, veterinary assistants say they have been forced to use private vehicles to access remote dip tanks, often spending more than E2 000 per month on fuel without reimbursement. Poor road conditions have also led to costly vehicle damage.
“We will now report for duty at 8am like other civil servants since we are not paid overtime,” Zwane added, noting past unpaid assignments such as the 2008 cattle branding and ear-tagging campaigns.
Mandla Tshawuka, Minister of Agriculture, confirmed that government was aware of the concerns surrounding hardship allowances.
He said the matter had been referred to the Ministry of Public Service during ongoing salary review negotiations.
“The issue of hardship allowances was discussed, and negotiations are still ongoing,” he said, adding that the matter affects not only veterinary assistants but other civil servants across government.
As talks continue, uncertainty remains over whether the planned mass vaccination campaign will proceed at full scale — a critical intervention in protecting the national herd from further FMD spread.
