AHS Media Release

Distributed on behalf of Racing South Africa


PRESS RELEASE – AFRICAN HORSESICKNESS TRUST

With the annual AHS season underway, the AHS Trust reports the following areas to have suffered outbreaks of AHS:

Howick/Karkloof KwaZulu Natal

Greater Pietermaritzburg KwaZulu Natal

Broederstroom North West

Greater North Rand Gauteng

Pretoria North Gauteng

Albany Triangle* Eastern Cape

Tzaneen Limpopo



This means that many parts of the country, especially the central and southern regions, remain free of the disease.


Whilst natural migration of the virus is expected during the AHS high risk season, transportation of infected horses remains one of the main sources of new outbreaks that can lead to the death of susceptible horses.


The AHS Trust, therefore, urges all horse owners, transporters and associations/clubs to exercise great caution when deciding to move horses from outbreak areas to those free of infection.



From an export perspective, the State Vet has imposed an embargo on the movement of horses into South Africa’s Export Zone in the Western Cape from certain parts of the following Provinces:

Gauteng Province

Eastern Province

KwaZulu Natal