By Michael Gwarisa
In the Gandavaroyi area of Gokwe North, 75-year-old Sekuru Charumbira noticed painful blisters spreading across his arms. The lesions had appeared suddenly and, as the discomfort worsened, his thoughts returned to a confrontation three days earlier.
At the height of the 2025–2026 summer cropping season, he had argued with his neighbour, Mr Muzo, after stray cattle wandered into his maize field and destroyed part of his crop.
“It must be witchcraft,” Sekuru Charumbira muttered to himself. “Muzo has always been jealous of my success.”
Convinced he had been bewitched, the elderly farmer went to confront his neighbour, publicly accusing him of using black magic.
From a distance, Mr Muzo immediately recognised the blisters on Sekuru Charumbira’s arms. His own granddaughter had developed similar lesions just months earlier, during an anthrax outbreak in October.
“Before you accuse me of witchcraft,” Muzo said calmly, pointing at the sores, “that is nothing else but anthrax.”
Alarmed, he urged his neighbour to seek immediate medical attention at Gokwe General Hospital. Although Gokwe has a long history of anthrax outbreaks, this was the first time Sekuru Charumbira had been infected.
Gokwe is currently witnessing a resurgence of anthrax, with a cumulative total of 195 cases recorded since the disease was first reported. By the week ending November 30, 2025, six anthrax cases and zero deaths had been reported. Five cases were recorded in Gokwe North District and one in Gokwe South District, according to the Ministry of Health and Child Care Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Report.
Anthrax is endemic in Gokwe, with outbreaks occurring almost every year due to the persistence of Bacillus anthracis spores in the soil. The Ministry of Health and Child Care has repeatedly highlighted the recurring nature of the disease in the district, emphasising the need for continuous surveillance and vaccination to control infections in both livestock and humans.
Why Anthrax in Gokwe Is No Longer Just an Animal Disease
Anthrax affects a wide range of animals, but herbivores are the most susceptible, particularly cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and wild animals such as antelope and buffalo. Pigs, dogs, and cats can also be infected, although they are generally less susceptible and often develop milder forms of the disease.
In Gokwe, however, anthrax increasingly presents as a human disease, with more human infections reported than animal cases, making it one of the most troubling zoonotic diseases in the region. A zoonotic disease is one that can be transmitted between animals and humans.
“In terms of anthrax in Gokwe, from our experience, we tend to detect anthrax more in humans than in animals,” said Professor Gift Matope, a veterinary expert and senior lecturer in Veterinary Microbiology in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at the University of Zimbabwe.
“Why? We suspect there is significant under-reporting. If people report cases to veterinary authorities, they risk losing the meat. Instead, they try to salvage it, and in the process they become infected. That is when they develop the blisters and other symptoms.”
Unlike in humans, anthrax in animals is often highly fatal, Professor Matope said. In cattle, sheep, and goats, the disease usually kills animals quickly, making it rare to observe prolonged illness. Despite this, Gokwe has not recorded large numbers of livestock deaths or visibly sick animals, raising questions about how humans are becoming infected.
How Humans Are Becoming Infected in an Anthrax-Endemic District
While diseases such as COVID-19 were reported for the first time in 2019, anthrax is a re-emerging disease that continues to surface in areas where it has previously been reported. Although some experts attribute recent outbreaks in Zimbabwe to climate change, other historical analyses suggest deeper roots.
An article published by One Only Natural Energy traces Zimbabwe’s anthrax outbreaks to the country’s protracted war of liberation, which ended in 1979. During that period, when Zimbabwe was still known as Rhodesia, the colonial regime of former Prime Minister Ian Smith is reported to have used anthrax as a biological weapon.
Experts say this resulted in the largest recorded human anthrax outbreak globally, with more than 10,700 cases and at least 200 deaths reported between 1978 and 1980.
In modern independent Zimbabwe, anthrax has since become endemic. Experts believe that in areas such as Gokwe, the bacteria responsible for anthrax may still be present in the environment, as spores can survive for more than 200 years.
“Anthrax spores can persist in the environment for decades,” Professor Matope said. “Some estimates suggest as long as 250 years. You can have an outbreak now, then the disease appears to go quiet, but the spores remain. Twenty or thirty years later, you experience another major outbreak. That cycle continues, which is why we classify anthrax as a re-emerging disease.”
There are growing fears that residents in anthrax-endemic areas such as Gokwe may be contracting the disease through contact with infected carcasses or by consuming contaminated meat. Professor Matope warned that no amount of drying or boiling can destroy anthrax spores.
“Anthrax forms very resistant spores. These spores exist in the environment and can also survive in animal carcasses and meat,” he said. “You may dry the meat, but the spores remain viable. If you consume that meat, including as biltong, you can ingest the spores. Once inside the body, the spores reactivate and cause anthrax.”
He added that stronger collaboration between veterinary and medical professionals is essential, as anthrax infections in humans are often detected only after cases have gone unreported in animals.
Professor Matope further stressed that addressing anthrax requires a multi-sectoral approach, with environmental factors playing a critical role, particularly in endemic areas such as Gokwe.
Zimbabwe has since launched the Zimbabwe National One Health Strategic Plan Implementation Plan, aimed at operationalising the One Health Strategic Plan for 2025–2030. The plan seeks to establish a coordinated and well-resourced framework that strengthens collaboration among government ministries, departments and agencies, as well as other key stakeholders.
