The President’s Message, June 2010  

The African Continent, in particular South Africa has at last, and for the first time, hosted the prestigious FIFA World Cup Soccer event during the 11th June to 10th July 2010.  As its citizens, we are still all caught up in the celebrations and hype. We purchased various garments in support of Bafana Bafana and, of course, some paraphernalia in support of the other thirty-one qualifying nations that have been participating in the event.  I had  hoped that the host, Bafana Bafana, would progress beyond the group stages of the event but was nonetheless proud of their final performance. Thousands of supporters, including foreign tourists, have and will continue to travel to various cities of our beautiful country to watch and celebrate with us.  We hope that the event will leave behind a legacy which will benefit the public and  future generations.

A new term of office is to start for Council on 31 July 2010. Any member newly elected, selected or designated as a Councillor into the Council might at first think that a three year term is long enough to achieve set goals. It is unbelievable how time flies and I wish it could be possible.  However, he experience in my last two terms has made me realise that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Nevertheless, looking back over the last three years of the current term, there have been several achievements which included among others: meeting our main objectives as the SAVC, changing the image of the Council, creating closer ties and contacts with our members, increased participation of our members in discussion of various issues, and creating an improved website for better communication.

Naturally, there were a few disappointments and challenges such as:

The inability to receive the final  KPMG report on “The Future Vision of the Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions” in our country. This would have been used to guide planning and decisions by various role players  including at a political level;

Another shortcoming was the inability to promote our various professions during the World Veterinary Day [24 April] which is celebrated annually. I am however hopeful that following on the establishment of a joint committee on public relations representing the various veterinary and para veterinary  stakeholders, that we will all as of 2011 maximise our efforts and claim our space in the public arena; and

To ultimately come to the decisions on the two issues, Rule 10 (the use of medicine including chemical immobilisation) and the guidelines on compounding, during the term in office were challenging as members of the professions had serious differences of opinion. Apart from the time it took for deliberations to come to a conclusion, I am satisfied that we have decided on the best way forward and in the best interest of the profession, the public and animals.

The outgoing Council was in my opinion, united in achieving the set objectives and we couldn't have delivered on our mandate without:

The support, sacrifice and dedication displayed at all times by the administration under the leadership of Mrs Hanri Kruger.  To the Registrar and staff, thank you and I hope you will as in the past, continue to share your experience and knowledge with the incoming Councillors;

The input received from members of the professions irrespective of whether positive or negative. Their feedback assisted us in revisiting certain decisions and also gave us different perspectives on issues being discussed. Please continue to participate and show interest in influencing decisions of the Council; and

The support from and positive engagements with leaders; and in particular veterinarians and para-veterinary professionals in various organisations such as the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries [DAFF], South African Veterinary Association [SAVA], Training Institutions for veterinarians and para-veterinary professionals, Black Veterinary Forum [BVF], Animal Welfare Organisations [AWOs], etc.

I am certain that the Councillors enjoyed working for the professions and even though sometimes it was tough, sacrifices made with intense deliberations during the meetings, we do not regret being Councillors as we always regard the interests of the professions as a priority and ensure that self interest doesn't prevail.  To the Vice President, Dr Quixi Sonntag and fellow Council members, thank you for the confidence you bestowed upon me as your leader and for all the support you provided during the last three years.

The process of appointing a new Council was unfortunately not finalised before publication of this newsletter and we are concerned about the implications and hope that the Minister manages to designate members to a new Council to take over as of 31 July 2010. To the members of the professions who ultimately make it into the new Council, I wish you all strength and may the Almighty bless and guide you in the new term.

God bless you all and your families.

Dr Rebone Moerane

The President’s message March 2010

A number of members of the Veterinary and Para-Veterinary professions have recently been kept busy with trying to control the spread the Rift Valley fever outbreak in our country. The spread of the disease has unfortunately to date led to loss of livestock with negative impact on the financial position of some farmers particularly in the Free State, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. However the magnitude of the outbreak has also led to questions being raised by various people on the capabilities and capacity of Government in particular the State Veterinary services including the Onderstepoort Biological Product in controlling the disease. One cannot blame the people raising such questions and as I have always said in the past, we can only dispel such perceptions if both the State and Private sector is closely working together with clear roles identified and complementing each other to maximise on the capacity available in our country.

I recently heard on radio, that the Minister of Higher Education is considering the development of a system that will allow people who didn’t study for a particular degree/diploma at a tertiary institution but gained particular skills while employed, to be officially recognised and certified as such and, forcing the employers to accept the certificate. Whereas I accept that it could work in certain fields such as Artisans, I couldn’t imagine how it would work in the Veterinary field. This also brought to my mind the issue about some of our members who are illegally training laypersons on Veterinary procedures and thus creating wrong perceptions that you don’t need a proper training programme at a tertiary institution to become a Veterinarian. If any of our members out there have also heard of the Minister’s intention or you had access to any document, please send us your comments and opinions

The World Veterinary day will be celebrated on the 24^th April 2010 with the theme “One World, One Health” and I am impressed to see that SAVA has reminded and called upon its members to participate and profile the profession. The council would also like to emphasise the need to profile the professions and use such opportunities to reach out and demonstrate what important role the veterinary profession play towards public health. With the current outbreak of Rift Valley fever in mind, a well planned awareness programme involving both the Veterinary and Medical professionals could be a classical example to use during the World veterinary day

The World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) has on its website, called upon applications for national Veterinary associations (on their own or in collaboration with other bodies) worldwide, to apply for the 2010 award on the best celebrated World Veterinary Day. South Africa has since 2000 (the inception of the world veterinary day) not received such an award and I am certain that there are a number of our members who are actually doing excellent work in this regard (SAVA, State and Faculty) and they could easily together represent our country. I am therefore calling upon and appealing to the various organisations involved in the veterinary field to consider their joint activities and subsequently apply for the 2010 award. The individual members of the profession cannot unfortunately showcase their work and apply for the award and I believe that it is the responsibility of the management of the various bodies in our country to profile the excellent work of our colleagues internationally

We are fast approaching the end of term of the current Councillors who have no doubt sacrificed and immensely contributed towards the improvement of the profession. In line with our Act, nominations were called upon by the council and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries accordingly and, we are looking forward to the final decision on who will be the new councillors going forward. Thank you to all members who participated in the process and to the registrar and staff for ensuring that we keep to the set timeframe

In conclusion, I wish you all successful and stress free life and hope that the quote from Richard Bach will give you strength “You are never given a wish without being given the power to make it come true. You may have to work for it, however”

God bless you and your families

Dr Rebone Moerane

The President's Message November 2010

As we head towards the end of the year we need to reflect back as the profession and as individuals, on the achievements, weaknesses, challenges for the current year and identify opportunities which we could explore during the coming year. In my opinion, the road has not been easy for the profession with among others complaints from various quarters on our policies/rules, increasing demand for our services and continuous general ignorance of our profession in the country including the disappointment of not officially meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to date . However I must commend all people who saw it fit not to despair during the year but continuously dedicated their time and expertise in ensuring that we overcome the challenges and weaknesses. Our 2008/9 annual report was tabled on time with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and I advise all members to peruse the report and submit inputs on possible improvements for the future.

A number of new graduates and professionals from outside the RSA who recently wrote the SAVC exams will be taking an oath to dedicate their time and life to the ethos of the various veterinary and para veterinary professions. This will not have been possible without the dedication and commitment of academic staff at various training institutions, members of the profession who were willing to impart their experience and knowledge to the students, monitors/examiners/moderators of various subjects, the SAVC, parents and various funders in our country. To the new graduates and new members of the veterinary and para veterinary professionals in our country, we welcome you all and hope that you will contribute meaningfully and add your voice in promoting our profession.

During the year, we indicated our intention of improving our website and requested inputs from the members. There has been tremendous development and improvement under the leadership of the administration in particular Mrs Lynette Havinga, and the website will be launched during the first week of December 2009. The Council will always be open to advice and inputs as we continuously try to improve our communication with both members of the professions and the public at large.

Democracy in our country has brought about several changes including among others freedom of speech, open debates and discussions. Whatever positive developments we have enjoyed since 1994, we recently saw challenging circumstances that could possibly negate what was achieved to date e.g. questions being raised on the independency of the judiciary, the Eskom debacle to name a few.  Our ethos and rules are well written with constant updates to meet the demands of the day based on inputs from members of the profession. As the profession we should welcome debates and opinions from members of the public without compromising our profession. It is therefore appropriate that I should call upon all members at all levels of State or private sector to continue being vigilant against forces of disruption, corruption and any attempt to denigrate the image of the profession. I believe that there is no person outside the veterinary field who will promote and protect the image better than us.

Recent reports on the economic status of our country indicated that while the country was slowly recovering from the global economic crisis, there was an increase in the number of job losses. This is a huge challenge for our country and considering our aim to contribute towards food security and improved livelihoods, we need to continuously amplify our efforts. However, there have been calls for the veterinary profession to clearly indicate the common understanding of its role and contribution. Well, the Councillors recently debated the issue and agreed on developing a document that clarifies our understanding and contribution. I’m certain that we have enough expertise within the profession to develop a concept document.  

I recently through the grace of the Almighty, recovered from an unknown illness with medical professionals being unable to diagnose the cause. Thanks to the family, friends, the Councillors, SAVC staff and colleagues for their support and prayers and I am again back on my feet performing what I know best (veterinary profession).

In conclusion, our sincere condolences to members of the profession who lost family members and we wish all members experiencing difficulties through illness, stress etc, a speedy recovery.

Wishing you all the best holidays during the coming festive season and may the Almighty bless you, your partners, families and institutions.

Dr Rebone Moerane

From the President’s desk

September 2009

Congratulations to the newly elected leadership of the South African Veterinary Association (SAVA) in particular Dr Anthea Fleming being elected as the President of the SAVA. I am certain that through her dedication, leadership and determination, we will together continue to strive towards improving the image of the profession, promoting the professional ethos and the contribution of the profession towards improved livelihoods in our country.  I also want to thank the previous president, Dr Clive Marwick, for his leadership and vision in transforming the structures of the veterinary association and hope that he will continue to contribute in future developments.

A number of educational activities took place during this term with particularly the Congress of the Livestock Health and Production Group (LHPG) of the SAVA and the 12th International Symposium on Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics (ISVEE) being the two highlights for our country-

The Congress of the LHPG was held during July 2009 in Mosselbay and was in my opinion very successful with excellent participation by the rural practitioners and presentations by excellent speakers who dedicated their time and effort to share information and improve the knowledge of fellow members of the profession. Congratulations to the organizers and again thank you for inviting me to deliver the opening address.  While at the congress, I had the opportunity to engage the final year veterinary students and I was impressed with their willingness to participate in the compulsory veterinary community service.

The ISVEE was held during 10-14 August 2009 in Durban and I am informed that it was successful.  A number of participants came from all over the world to attend the congress regrettably with little participation by members of the medical profession.  Again congratulations to the organizers, you have made us (South Africans) proud of our skills, heritage and capabilities to host such a conference.

During 2-5 September 2009, our Registrar, Mrs Hanri Kruger, the Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, UP, Prof Gerry Swan, Prof Koos Coetzer and I, attended a seminar on Veterinary education organized for the SADC region by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)  in Arusha, Tanzania.  The theme of the seminar was “Veterinary education in Southern Africa: Matching supply and demand” with the purpose amongst other matters to:

Inform statutory bodies and training institutions on the responsibilities of the OIE to improve quality and governance of veterinary services;

Initiate a network forum for the Deans and Registrars to share information on best practices, challenges and opportunities in the development of veterinary curricula and continuing education for veterinarians in the Southern African countries.

For the first time ever, the seminar indeed provided the statutory bodies in the region with an opportunity to engage on areas of mutual interest and one trusts that the respective countries will build on what has been achieved by the seminar in Tanzania and, work towards improving all aspects of the veterinary profession in the region. The outcome of the seminar is available on the OIE's website at:

Http://www.rr-africa.oie.int/en/en_index_annex36.html.

In principle it aims to harmonize both the veterinary education and statutory requirements in the region, but also acknowledges the specific requirements or needs for respective countries in the region.  Having listened to the presentations from various SADC member countries, I am convinced that it is indeed possible to work towards harmonization however it will take time as we deal with the various challenges and differences.

While various statutory bodies made presentations on the specific situations relevant to their countries, it became apparent that there was a common challenge indicated by our neighbouring countries namely, that South African based veterinarians sometimes fly over or drive through into neighbouring countries and practice or provide veterinary services without being registered or authorized by the respective countries. This unfortunately creates a perception that we are arrogant and do not respect laws of the neighbouring countries.  I therefore appeal to all members of the profession to ensure that if you are intending on providing veterinary services or practicing in any country outside South Africa, that you contact the relevant statutory body to enquire on the requirements before you leave the country.  We are also experiencing the same situation and our members have been vocal about the Council stopping such practices by foreign veterinary professionals visiting our country.

On compulsory veterinary community service, we thought that it was going to be quick and easier to amend the regulations to accommodate CCS, however, after receiving conflicting legal opinions we together with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), decided to follow the advice of the State attorney by amending the Act to ensure that we do not delay the process any further.  The final proposal on amending the Act and regulations will be published for comment by members of the profession and the public at large.

One of the newspapers in our country recently highlighted the possibility that state veterinarians engage in a strike action in response to the slow pace of the implementation of Occupation specific dispensation (OSD) for veterinarians while other professions such as the medics and engineers have been attended to.  Irrespective of the source of the article, allow me to thank the state veterinarians for not embarking on a strike action and instead chose to follow the relevant labour channels to address their concerns.  I am reliably informed that a task team will soon be established to develop guidelines related to the OSD for veterinarians and the council will also engage the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the relevant Minister on the issue.

The World Rabies Day will have been celebrated on 28 September 2009 with various activities organized in the provinces. I hope that members of the profession used the opportunity to volunteer and participate in the organized events and contribute towards promoting the veterinary and para-veterinary professions amongst various communities. While we participate in the World Rabies Day, we must not forget the World Veterinary Day to be held in 2010 and I hope that South Africans will this time organize an event that will involve public and private partnership and the event will be given the hype it deserves.

In conclusion, allow me to

Wish all students who will be writing examinations particularly final year students, the best of luck in their examinations and hope that they will stay in the country to increase the pool of veterinary professionals required in our beautiful country;

Thank all those members of the veterinary and para veterinary professions who acted as moderators and examiners in the Council's full registration examinations during the month of September;

An invitation is extended to foreign candidates who passed the examinations to a registration  afternoon on 27 November 2009 at which time we will welcome them as our colleagues; and

Express our condolences to  families and friends of our colleagues who passed away.

Rebone Moerane

The Presidents message June 2009

The April 2009 democratic elections in South Africa was subsequently followed by the inauguration of the new President of the Republic of South Africa, the honourable Mr Jacob Gedleyehlekisa Zuma and the appointment of a new Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson and her deputy, Mr Pieter Mulder.  In his recent State of the Nation address, the honourable Mr Zuma highlighted  a number of key priority areas which government will concentrate on.

As proud citizens of our country, I am certain that wherever you are in your chosen field of interest, you have already identified your role as a veterinarian or para-veterinarian and we are all looking forward to contributing in achieving the identified areas of priority. However, we know that there is generally an incorrect perception that our professions do not come forward with clear interventions as to how they will contribute. In light of this, I urge all members of the veterinary and para-veterinary professions, to  send their ideas to the SAVC on how our professions can make an impact regarding the identified priorities.  You can be assured that the council will in the August meeting discuss your proposals and once consolidated,  it will be used to engage the new Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

We are almost at the end of the 2^nd term of the year for most of the study programmes at various Universities and some of the students may already be asking themselves questions as to whether they will make it at the end of the programme.  I hope that they remain positive and use all available avenues to catch-up, work harder and prepare for the tests/exams.  As we will be going into the winter holiday period there will be some of the students without clear activities/plans during the holidays.  If any member of the profession is aware of such students please sacrifice your time to accommodate these students into your programme to expose them to various aspects of the veterinary and para-veterinary professions in the field.

I recently had the honour to accompany the Chief Veterinary officer of our country, Dr Mike Modisane and his team to the 77^th OIE (World Animal Health Organisation) conference in Paris, where a number of international animal health standards were agreed upon.  While in Paris, I had the opportunity to

• meet a number of veterinarians from other countries;
• witness  the NEPAL Veterinary Association receiving an award from the World Veterinary Association for the best activities related to the International Veterinary day in April 2009;
• witness Dr Gideon Bruckner  being chosen the President of the international Scientific committee and Dr Roy Bengis nominated into the wildlife committee of the OIE.  Congratulations to both veterinarians, we are proud of your achievements;
• observe how the South African delegation led by Dr Modisane effectively dealt with various bilateral discussions on trade issues.  We are proud of you -  keep it up.

A number of resolutions were adopted at the conference and these resolutions will in due course be accessible on the OIE website at ( http://www.oie.int.org/). It is important for members of the profession to access the information particularly if you are involved in activities that may impact on the status of our country.  One of the resolutions of the OIE is to host a conference during October 2009 on the Evolving Veterinary Education for a safer world.  The main purpose of this conference will be to provide the Deans of veterinary institutions and key national animal health policy makers from all over the world an opportunity to exchange views on priorities for the content of academic courses that would enable future graduates to  work in an international environment.  The SAVC will participate at this conference and will be represented by Prof Gerry Swan and Dr Joseph Van Heerden.  This conference will be preceded by a regional conference for SADC member countries and both the Faculty of Veterinary Science , University of Pretoria  and the SAVC will participate.

Congratulations to SAVA with the inauguration of their new offices and headquarters and to the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria for naming their library in honour of the first South African who qualified as a veterinarian, Dr Jotello F Soga.

The council recently at their last meeting deliberated on a number of issues, amongst others, the following:-

• The improvement of our website. Thank you to those colleagues who have  provided feedback or proposals on how we could improve the website. Members should expect changes in the next 3 months and we will again be looking forward to feedback from the members;
• Proposed amendment to rule 10- Schedule 5 and 6 medicines.  The proposal has no doubt stimulated differing opinions amongst members of the profession and stakeholders.  I would like to thank all members who submitted inputs and also thank the councillors for not rushing into a decision but to rather establish an ad-hoc committee to further investigate the matter before a decision is made;
• Requests for representation on council.  A draft proposal was developed following numerous requests for representation on council by various organisations in particular the para-veterinary groups and training institutions.  Some parts of the proposal might require amendment of our act and thus it is critical that all members of the professions look at the proposal and submit their inputs.

On behalf of the council, I would like to thank all organisations that provided the council with opportunities to address their various gatherings.  This has exposed our councillors to members of the professions and also gave us an opportunity to clarify certain decisions by the council and to allay the fears that council is a monster only interested in persecuting its members.  There are also a number of activities scheduled for the rest of the year, and councillors will be looking forward to attend the various activities and address members.

On a lighter note, I am sure all of us were behind the Blue Bulls as they won the Super 14 title.  The Confederation Soccer Cup is upon us and we are aware that our soccer team Bafana Bafana has been struggling.  Let us go out there to give them the moral support as I believe that such activities can unite our country and our soccer team could spring some surprises.

March 2009

During the last quarter of 2008, our country experienced a negative economic growth with speculation of a second negative growth in the 1^st quarter of 2009 (possible recession). Unfortunately this led to retrenchments particularly in the mining industry. One is however encouraged by the fact that agriculture in general still had a positive growth and I strongly believe that the veterinary profession still has a huge contribution to make in the agricultural sector. The question though is how both the state and private veterinary sectors can work together in maximizing their input in the agricultural sector taking into consideration the current shortage of veterinary professionals particularly in the rural areas. We cannot afford to work in isolation. We should harmonize our activities and ensure that all people have access to our services.  Harmonization of our activities will ensure that

• The retrenched workers who are now moving into livestock farming receive adequate services
• The majority of unemployed South Africans who are already involved in livestock farming will have access to veterinary services
• Veterinary professionals will as a result of high demand for their services, create job opportunities for assistants, general workers etc.

I am of the opinion that with this scenario in place, the veterinary profession will have various ways to handle the impacts of a possible recession while at the same time provide assistance to South Africans who are already experiencing difficult times.

On 12 March 2009, the Executive Committee of the Council had the opportunity to meet with the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reform, Ms Lulu Xingwana. The purpose of the meeting was to advise and update the Minister on issues such as primary animal health care; the status of state veterinary services; the shortage of veterinary professionals; veterinary training; the impact of crime on the veterinary and para-veterinary professions, etc. (please check our website under the Council’s Vision and Mission for details on the Minister’s challenges and Council’s updated progress). The meeting was a fruitful exercise and a number of solutions were identified and agreed upon, with the Minister requesting another meeting in the near future. In this light, I would like to request members of the profession not to hesitate to submit proposals and comments once you have perused the information on our website.

In an effort to reduce and solve the problems of lay persons or unregistered persons providing veterinary services, the Council jointly with the South African Veterinary Association (SAVA) met with representatives of various farmer organisations and breeder societies.  Even though we had the opportunity to make it clear and it was agreed that only persons registered with the SAVC should provide veterinary services, we were appalled by the poor attendance of most of the organisations/breeder societies. We will however continue in our effort to spread the message and the members of the profession are advised to refrain from providing resources such as remedies and equipment to laypersons and unregistered persons in order to prevent such persons from providing veterinary services.

During February and March 2009, I had the opportunity to address and attend the congress of the South African Equine Veterinary Association, a group of the SAVA in Durban and the branch meeting of the SAVA, Eastern Free State branch. These occasions gave me the opportunity to meet members and discuss various issues relating to the profession, including updating members on activities of the Council.  Thank you to the respective chairpersons, Drs Dave Mullins and Leon Laubscher for these invitations.  Once more I would like to urge the veterinary professionals in state veterinary service to attend such activities so as to engage other colleagues and to share experiences of both the state and the private sectors.

During the last term of 2008 and the 1^st term of 2009, the administration and several councillors embarked on a road show to all provinces. The main purpose of the road show was to

• For the first time meet with a number of the animal health technicians in the country (since their registration with the SAVC in 2004);
• Meet with the main employers of the animal health technician para-veterinary profession and to explain to them the purpose of the SAVC and the requirements for employment of animal health technicians in South Africa .

The road show has no doubt been very fruitful in that not only did the SAVC achieve its objective but a number of other issues were clarified with the professions registered with the council.  We also noted the several challenges being experienced by members employed in the state veterinary services. This gave us a better understanding of challenges prior to our meeting with the Minister of Agriculture.  Thank you to the administration, councillors and the Provincial Directors who made the road show a success.  I hope that such ventures will assist in bridging the gap between members of the profession and the council.

On a sad note, the veterinary profession has been seriously affected by crime with the unfortunate death of our colleague Dr Paul Meyer and Dr Duncan Prinsloo’s wife. Our sincere condolences to the families that have lost their loved ones and may their soul rest in peace.  While in Pretoria I came across a newspaper article indicating the theft of computers and equipment at about 7 veterinary practices around Gauteng . We hope that the veterinary professionals involved will recover speedily from the loss of their assets and, let us all assist in fighting such crime by not getting involved through purchase of the stolen equipment etc.

The council has also been recently affected by the resignation of two of its councilors namely Dr Dean Sim and Advocate Nomazotsho Memani-Balani.  On behalf of the Council and the profession, I would like to thank Dr Sim and Advocate Memani-Balani for their contributions and unreserved support of the profession.  We wish them well in their respective future endeavours. The process of replacing both councillors is underway and I trust that all registered veterinarians will fully participate in the election process in finding a replacement for Dr Sim.

In conclusion, allow me to remind you of some of the activities during the rest of the year in which we could make meaningful contribution to the society and profession at large

• Democratic elections on 22 April 2009
• South Africa Nursing Day in July 2009
• International Symposium on Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics during the 10-14 August 2009.

Thank you, Rebone Moerane, March 2009

From the President’s desk

Earlier this year, most of us if not all, were optimistic and enthusiastic about our plans and resolutions for the new year, thinking that we had ample time to implement our plans.  We have now officially reached the end of the year and it is usually during this time that we:-

Look back and evaluate our plans; achievements, failures and unaccomplished tasks for the year; and

Re-visit our plans to develop new plans for 2009.

As members of various professions in the veterinary field, we have no doubt encountered several challenges and exciting experiences during the year. Some of the experiences included the following:

The global financial crisis coupled with the calls for new global finance structures, which also indirectly affected the Rand and our investments.  Looking at the rate of re-possessions (vehicles and properties), one wonders how many of our members have been affected.  We can only hope that if you have been affected that you, whether you are a veterinarian or para-veterinary professional, would seek financial advice;

The global fuel crisis; and although South Africa has enough food to feed its people, the associated escalating food prices in our country poses a threat;

We have seen recently that some members of the public prefers to look after themselves first before giving attention to their animals.  This has increased the level of stray animals and negligence with some clients being unable to pay veterinary fees;

Acts of xenophobia which created negative perceptions about our country.  Thank you to those professionals of foreign decent for remaining and contributing to the needs of our country;

The protracted periods in which it takes for lay persons performing veterinary services to be prosecuted and the failed prosecutions;

The shortage of veterinarians with the increasing demand for veterinary services in the rural communities.  Compounded by the lack of interest of young people in rural communities to enter into the veterinary field;

The various congresses attended by members of the professions locally and abroad. These activities provided opportunities for Continued Professional Development  and allowed members to engage and network;

Onderstepoort Veterinary Centenary celebrations whereby for the first time since the new dispensation (1994), the President of the country, honourable President Kgalema Motlhanthe, addressed the veterinary profession.

Besides the challenges experienced during the year, one is encouraged and proud that members of the profession continued to provide efficient and professional services to the South African public at large. We should be proud that members of the public are still generally satisfied with our services and hold the profession in high regard.

As we review the activities of 2008 and approach 2009, we as the Council will remain focused and committed to our vision, mission and objectives and we always welcome participation from all members continuously providing input and vigorously debating issues.  Participation also means that members may seek clarification on decisions taken by Council.

It is the democratic right of any member of the SAVC to question decisions as long as we do not infringe on the constitutional rights of any citizens.

The decisions and activities of the SAVC was of course made possible by

The dedication and willingness to sacrifice time by the various Councillors.  Some of the decisions may not have been popular, however I am satisfied that all Councillors read the various documents, consulted role players and debated issues until decisions were adopted;

The efficient and effective administration led by Mrs Hanri Kruger.  To all staff members thank you for a job well done and we trust that you will use this year's performance as a benchmark for performance in future;

Valuable inputs from various organisations and individual members of the profession.  To you also, thank you for your willingness to engage us and to participate in improving our services as a profession.

The Veterinary Council will in future continue to decide upon various critical rules and regulations, which will one way or another have an impact on the professions and individuals.  While we appreciate inputs from various sectors of the professions, as the SAVC, we are generally concerned about the few responses that we receive from our members. I therefore once again want to re-iterate the stance of the SAVC that: Members of the professions are always welcome and encouraged to submit in writing issues of concern and issues that must be deliberated by Council.

The newly qualified veterinarians, including the veterinarians that have passed the SAVC examinations (as from 2009) would have taken the Oath at the end of November 2008.  It therefore remains our mandate and task as professionals who have been in the field for some time, to welcome our new members and to assist them where possible, so that they continue to enjoy the profession and make a positive contribution in our beautiful country South Africa .

As we approach the holiday season, allow me to, on behalf of the SAVC and my family, wish each and every member of the professions a pleasant holiday, Blessed Christmas for members of the Christian Faith, a Prosperous 2009 and may the Almighty bless you all.

November 2008

Rebone Moerane

From the President’s desk

Education and Training

We are fast approaching the end of the year and for many students in the Veterinary and Para-Veterinary field, it is crunch time, due to the coming examinations; and decisions on which sector in the veterinary field to join. While one acknowledges the possible stressing period that the students will be going through, it is important for them to remain positive and focused and to use various stress relieving methods to handle stressful situations. On behalf of the professions, we wish all students good luck and success in their coming exams and for those who will become qualified Veterinarians and Para-Veterinarians, we hope that you will maintain the excellent ethos of our professions and promote our professions in your various chosen fields.

The knowledge and skills obtained by the students to date would not have been possible without the positive contribution of parents, members of the professions, various institutions and organizations and for that we thank all role-players for their unselfish contribution, dedication and support.

The training of Veterinarians and Para-Veterinarians in our country will always remain a critical goal to achieve and one is encouraged by the recent debates on the issue. The media and politicians have also joined in discussions related to the training in the Veterinary field. Recently we heard or read about discussions on the negative impact that the merger of various institutions has caused in our country (including the merger of MEDUNSA Veterinary Faculty and Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty). Whether this is true or not, still in my opinion requires thorough debate with involvement of all stakeholders and role-players. As members of the professions, we must view the debates as an opportunity to influence policy decisions on the future training of Veterinarians and Para-Veterinarians in our beautiful country South Africa .

We cannot deny the fact that we are faced with a shortage of Veterinarians and Para-Veterinarians (e.g. Veterinary Laboratory Technologist). It is therefore prudent that we should at all times promote our professions in our various sectors and communities. I recently had the opportunity of visiting schools in my former hometown Atteridgeville, and it confirmed to me that the majority of people in our country still do not know about our professions and do not understand what we do and thus unable to value the contribution of our professions. I therefore encourage all role players to use this period before the end of the year, to seriously campaign and visit mathematics and science schools in order to recruit students. We must remember that we are always competing for the best students with other professions such as medicine and engineering and we will only have more enrolment into the veterinary field if we motivate and encourage young people especially in the previously disadvantaged communities.

The Council registration examinations took place during September and the Council acknowledges the efforts of the team of examiners and wishes to thank these professionals for their dedication.

Comments and Contributions from members

The SAVC has in the previous newsletters requested members of the profession to submit comments on various issues such as the identification of an Attending Veterinarian, Website advertising, Compounding of Medicines and Draft regulations on Compulsory Community Services. Thank you to the members that have to date responded to the call to submit inputs and I would like to encourage other members to still submit their inputs as requested. It is important for all of us to remember that the full Council of the SAVC decides or approves various policies, procedures and amendments based on inputs from members of the professions.

A number of our members have participated in drafting of various proposals for the SAVC and their contributions are acknowledged and always appreciated. We hope that in future, we will have an increased number of our members volunteering to provide services to the SAVC

I together with Dr Quixi Sonntag, and at the invitation of the Black Veterinary Forum of SA attended the opening of their 1^st inaugural congress and posed a number of challenges to them amongst other matters how the forum would translate their objectives into actions.

Congresses, Conferences, CPD

During September I had an opportunity to attend various conferences/congresses such as the International World Meat Congress and Animal Health Technician Congress. I was in particular impressed with the organisation of the AHT Congress and the various topics covered or discussed during their congress. It is however unfortunate that only a few Veterinarians (less than 4 to be precise) attended the AHT Congress and in my opinion, both the veterinarians and para-veterinarians are missing opportunities to engage in various important aspects of the veterinary field.

The quality of their presentations has no doubt improved from the previous congresses and with AHTs generally being the first people to experience outbreaks of various animal diseases, it is appropriate that they should be respected as a profession and they could share their experiences with veterinarians and other para-veterinary professionals.

A number of CPD activities have recently taken place in various parts of our country. This is no doubt encouraging as it offers members an opportunity to gain more skills and to exchange ideas.

Onderstepoort Pan African Veterinary Conference and Centenary

The Onderstepoort Pan African Veterinary conference and centenary celebrations will be held on the 6-9 October 2008 with the theme “A centenary celebration of the founding of Onderstepoort, focusing on the impact of animal diseases on food security and the economic development of Africa ”.

The celebration is indeed appropriate considering

·        The contribution of Onderstepoort and its founders to the Veterinary field in our country, continent and globally;

·        The experiences of outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging animal diseases; and

·        The poverty situation in Africa .

Well done to the various institutions which initiated and are involved in planning of the event and, we wish them a successful conference and celebrations.

In conclusion, allow me to remind you of our vision, mission, strategic objectives and theme of the SAVC (Food safety/security and animal well being) and hope that wherever you are, will continuously endeavour to contribute towards our goals and may the Almighty bless you, your families, friends and staff.

Rebone  Moerane

September 2008

From the President’s desk

Dr. R. Moerane, President SAVC

June / August 2008

From the Presidents Desk

South Africa has since April 2008 experienced a spate of xenophobic attacks on especially foreigners of African origin and, to date our citizens, government, NGO’s and other organizations are still trying to deal with the aftermath of the xenophobic incidents.  As the South African Veterinary Council representing the various veterinary professions, we would like to join other organisations in condemning the xenophobic incidents in our country.  We call upon all members of our profession to continue assisting in dealing with the challenges brought about by the incident and to participate in the various healing processes among the affected communities.

To all our members of foreign origin, we as the profession and the public at large, value your presence and contribution in our country and we hope that you have accepted our apology as conferred by the South African Government on behalf of all its citizens.

The current global food crisis led to vigorous debates and discussions not only in our country but also within the SADC, AU, FAO and by the G8 member countries.  One of the suggested solutions is to increase agricultural production. We know that livestock production in particular in the rural areas, is among one of the key sectors that both commercial and rural farmers are dependant on for their food security and livelihoods.  As it is well accepted that the Veterinary profession is among the critical professions required to enhance livestock production and economic growth, through herd health, animal welfare and food safety, it is therefore prudent that Government in collaboration with the private sector work together in achieving the goal of increasing production.  (An opportunity for joint ventures in rural areas – land reform projects, etc.)

Gala dinner, namely Dr Lesley Lunn (Soga Medal), Dr Ninette Keller (Young Veterinarian of the Year Award) , Lynette Havinga (SAVA Citation), Dr Francois Malan (President's Award), Dr Joseph van Heerden (Honorary Life-Vice President's Award) and Prof Bill Jenkins (Award of the South African Equine Veterinary Association a group of the SAVA). Your efforts and contribution to the profession is appreciated and you are directly or indirectly positively impacting on our future generation;

Thank you to

• Councilors who participated and assisted at the SAVC stand during the congress
• Members who visited our stand and managed to find time to submit inputs on the slogan, computer-based testing, fees and suspension.  Your proposals and inputs will definitely be considered and deliberated on at the next full council meeting.
• Various companies who sponsored the handouts, equipment, flowers that has subsequently allowed the SAVC to utilize a small portion the budgeted funding for a career exhibition in Mamelodi.

The 2008 Congress had an increased attendance from the State Veterinary Services and this will contribute towards an improved communication and collaboration between the State and private institutions. However, the attendance by the members of some of  the Para-Veterinary professions was in my opinion limited and one can only hope and encourage more Para-Veterinary professions to attend such congresses in future.

Some briefing on a few issues still pending:

a)  Compulsory Community Services (CCS) – the Department of Agriculture under the leadership of Dr T Songabe, met with the SAVC to discuss and agree on the draft regulations related to CCS.  We are hoping that the Department will endorse the outcome of our discussions and publish the regulations in the Government Gazette.

b)  Suspension (Section 28A of the Act) – more inputs were solicited at the recent SAVA Congress and the matter will further be deliberated at the next full Council meeting.  The Council acknowledges and appreciates all the concerns raised and inputs submitted to date and we will tread carefully until we conclude on the matter.

c)  Future vision for the Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Profession (KPMG study).  As the SAVC, we are disappointed that we could not receive KPMG report prior to our Strategic session in March 2008. Even though KMPG had indicated their problems to us (loss of electronic data), the report is long overdue and we understand the frustration expressed by our members.  We will continue to engage the Department of Agriculture on the matter in particular with regards to our dissatisfaction and disappointment with the delay from KPMG.

The World Veterinary Association is during the last week of July 2008, hosting the World Veterinary congress in Canada with the theme “One World- One Medicine- One health”. A number of members of our profession have recently briefly spoke about the theme, however we have not in my opinion as a country deliberated on the topic in collaboration with our medical professionals. It will be interesting and ideal for our country, to deliberate on the topic and to specifically indicate the implications in the South African context. I hope that there will be some of our members who will attend the congress and subsequently share the experience with us.

Lastly on behalf of the SAVC and the profession, I would like to

Dr. R. Moerane, President SAVC

March 2008

The SAVC offices relocated to the new premises at 874 Church Street , Lisdogan Park , Arcadia in Pretoria on 1 February 2008.  I am certain that for the members that have recently visited the new offices, they found them to be easily accessible and appropriate for the daily routine of the administration and for meetings related to our profession.  Credit should be bestowed upon the Registrar and staff for the swift movement without interfering with the daily operations of the Council.

A number of matriculants have since January 2008, enrolled with various training institutions either to study in the Veterinary or Para-Veterinary field. While we all acknowledge that it will be a mammoth task for the training institutions to develop the students into fully qualified professionals, we wish them the best in their endeavours.  I would like to urge both the institutions and members of the profession, to provide the students with all the necessary support so that we reduce the number of students that are annually dropping out of the training programmes.

During 16-18 January 2008, I had the opportunity to represent the SAVC at the OIE Seminar on Good Governance for Veterinary Services in Botswana whereby several issues that included the OIE policies, strengthening of veterinary services, capacity building on the control of animal diseases, performance of veterinary services tool and evaluation of veterinary services in the OIE member states, trade of livestock products and regional activities in animal health were discussed and resolutions subsequently adopted.  The recommendations are currently available on the SAVC website and I found them appropriate in addressing some of the veterinary challenges already identified by various members of the professions and public.  However the main challenge for all of us will still be how all role players (SAVC, State Veterinary Services, and Private Sector) implement the recommendations of the Seminar. I hope that through the leadership of the National Department of Agriculture (DoA), the relevant role players will be engaged on the said recommendations in order to develop clear implementation strategies for our country.

On the 11^th of March 2008, the SAVC held its second strategic planning session since 2003 whereby objectives, strategies and activity plan were reviewed.  Albeit the few inputs received from members of the professions, one was encouraged by the vigorous debates by Councillors and we hope that once the final product has been published, there will be further inputs received from other members. The outcome should be viewed as an attempt to translate our vision and mission into tangible activities and outcomes which could be used by all of us to evaluate our performance and progress.

The recent proposal pertaining to suspensions of members, Section 28A, prompted several different inputs and opinions from members of the profession.  The Council is encouraged with the response to date and in this light we have decided to create further opportunity for other members to submit their inputs at the next Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Congress to be held in Sun City in July 2008.  I would therefore urge and encourage members to visit the SAVC stall for further clarification and to submit comments/inputs.   The details of the amendment are available at www.savc.co.za.

The study on the future of Veterinary and Para-veterinary professions conducted by KPMG, was not completed as scheduled.  This unfortunately had an impact on our strategic planning session and the further delay will no doubt impact on various training institutions which are reviewing their curriculum and programmes.  We have been reliably informed that the report will be tabled at the end of March 2008 and members of the profession will still have an opportunity to peruse through the said report and comment.

The economy in our Country is currently experiencing challenges with an increased consumer price index (CPIX) probably due to among others the increase in the fuel price and food prices.  One always wonders how fellow colleagues and members of the profession (especially rural practitioners) cope with these challenges, especially if compounded by allegations of other professionals (e.g. medics) and laypersons conducting veterinary procedures at a fee, thus denying our members an opportunity to generate income.  It is thus in my opinion appropriate for all of us to support one another during such difficult times, continue to vigorously guard our profession and to at all cost assist all relevant institutions in conducting their respective investigations against reported allegations.

Congratulations to the Onderstepoort faculty for their launch on the diagnostic imaging machines that they recently acquired and also to one of the councilors, Dr Joseph van Heerden for the conservation award he received in the Northern Cape .  A number of the members of our profession had unfortunately fell ill during the period and on behalf of the SAVC, I would like to wish them a speedy recovery as their contribution is worthy and valuable to our profession.

Lastly, I would like to wish the organisers of the coming Veterinary and Para-veterinary Congress, all the best and trust that we will all attempt to attend the said congress.   I invite all members to visit the SAVC stall at the Congress and look forward to seeing you and discuss matters of interest to you with you.  Please refer to the roster circulated with this newsletter.

Dr. R. Moerane, President SAVC

November 2007

I had the opportunity to attend various events organised for the profession during the August to November 2007 period; these events included the conference of the Southern African Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine, the Rabies technical evening organised by the Northern Cape province and the mini-congress of the Free State and Northern Cape SAVA branch. I was astonished and encouraged to see the good attendance of these events by members of the profession and by members of the Medical and Environmental professions.  Besides the opportunity to obtain CPD points at these events, colleagues made use of the opportunity to share their skills and experiences and exchanged ideas with the Medical profession. I therefore encourage all of us to use these opportunities and attend more of these events even after we accumulated the required minimum CPD points for maintenance of registration.

Congratulations to those members of the profession who received various prestigious awards and/or were appointed into various influential positions locally or internationally. Your successes translate into great achievements for our profession and you are indirectly setting trends and goals for the future generation.

A number of Veterinary and Para-Veterinary graduates recently qualified from the various training institutions in our country. Some of the graduates will be leaving the country to explore their careers overseas while others will remain in the country to pursue a career in the field of their choice. On behalf of the profession, I wish to welcome all new graduates and wish you the best in your careers. I am certain that the experienced members of the profession in the country are eager and looking forward to guide and support the new graduates in their respective chosen careers and, we hope that the new professionals will uphold our ethos and professionalism as highlighted during the oath taking ceremony.

The recent media reports on the possible ban by the EU on the export of animal products from South Africa have no doubt put a spot-light on the veterinary and para-veterinary professions regarding capacity and our ability to provide food safety guarantees to the public at large. The reports compounded by the recent situation in Delmas ( Mpumalanga ) raised alarms with certain sectors of the public being vocal about their concerns.  As a profession involved in the food chain, we cannot ignore the negative impact that the recent events will have on us and it is upon all of us (State service, Private sector, Industry, Research, etc) to urgently develop and implement relevant strategies that will assist in regaining the confidence of the South African public and the rest of the world.  We therefore have to in my opinion urgently finalise and implement some of the policies (e.g. Community service, Primary Animal Health Care, Role of the Para-Veterinary profession, Role of Private Veterinarians in the State Service, etc) that we on several occasions discussed.  While the media report has no doubt put the image of the profession at stake, I am however, based on recent discussions, convinced that we all have common goals and we will put extra effort into the finalisation and implementation of joint strategies.

We have fortunately and/or unfortunately for some approached the end of the year 2007 and for some it might have been unexpectedly sooner than we thought. While looking back at the events of the year, you might feel that you experienced serious challenges or successes that impacted negatively or positively on your income, profession and/or family life. However irrespective of the outcomes, I hope that we will individually and collectively learn from our experiences of 2007 and become even better people in future.  The majority of might be looking forward to a deserved break, holiday and good time with family and friends after the hard-work and sacrifices experienced throughout the year.

Lastly, I would like to thank

• the Minister of Agriculture and Land affairs (Ms. Lulu Xingwana) for her guidance and trust in the Council;
• the Executive, Council members, Administration and staff members of the Council for their hard work, sacrifices and commitment towards the professions
• All role players (Members of the professions, Department of Agriculture (DoA), South African Veterinary Association (SAVA), Black Veterinary Forum of S A (BVFSA) , S A Association of Veterinary Technologists (SAAVT), Veterinary Nursing Association of S A (VNASA), S A Association of Laboratory Animal Science (SAALAS), S A Association of Animal Health Technicians (SAAHT), S A Animal Health Association (SAAHA), S A Association for Para-Veterinary Professions (SAAPVP) Training institutes, Industry, Animal Welfare Organisations) for their unselfish contributions to the profession and engagement of the Council on various important issues of the profession and services to the public.

The South African Veterinary Council wishes you all a happy festive season, safe holidays and a prosperous new year. Looking forward to your participation and contribution in 2008.

Dr. R. Moerane, President SAVC

September 2007

The previous three year term of the South African Veterinary Council came to an end during July 2007, while the new three year term of the new Council commenced during August 2007.  The events led to some of the professionals who relentlessly served the profession being replaced by new councillors in the Council.

As the newly elected President of the SAVC and on behalf of the Council, it is appropriate and an honour for me to firstly thank all the professionals who served in the previous council especially Prof Sybrand van den Berg, Dr Clive Marwick, Dr Stuart Varrie, Mrs Susan Masapu, Prof Morkel Terblanche and Sr Roenel Kenyon who have been replaced in the new Council and to secondly welcome the new councillors namely Drs Glen Carlisle, Dean Sim, Dr Danie Odendaal, Prof Gerry Swan, Sr Alison Glen and Adv Nomazotsho Memani-Balani. The Council unfortunately still has mammoth tasks ahead and I am convinced that the members of the new Council will continue to work together relentlessly as a team, to achieve the goals and objectives of the Council on behalf of the profession.

During August 2007, the first meeting of the new Council was honoured with the presence of the Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs, Ms Lulama Xingwana, who in her address highlighted several challenges and tasks for the Council. This include among others:

v     The need for continuous professional development and the inclusion of para-veterinary professionals in improving service delivery and primary animal health

v     Improving collaboration and partnerships between the public and private sector in lieu of Animal Health (outbreaks and disasters)

v     Linkages of Animal Health and Welfare

v     Poverty alleviation and contribution towards the target of 6% economic growth in South Africa

v     Role of the profession and its contribution towards household food security

v     The lack of or insufficient number of professionals and the impact thereof on trade

v     Policy on community veterinary service which is still being finalised

v     The issues related to recognition of foreign qualifications and possible exclusion of other African countries

v     Representation on the Council and re-assurance of the public that the Council deals effectively with their complaints

The majority of the aspects raised by our Minister were common and in line with the outcome of the strategic plan of the Council which was conducted in May 2005 and I would like to thank the previous Council members for their visionary abilities in developing the strategic plan of which I am certain that the current council will continue to engage on in improving the professionalism, image of the profession and defining the role of the council in South Africa.

The survey and study on the Future of Veterinary and para-veterinary professions as conducted by KPMG is in progress, with questionnaires designed and circulated to various members of the profession for completion.  I would like to encourage all the nominated or identified stakeholders and role players to fully participate and assist in finalizing the study. We all acknowledge that this study together with the outcome on Community Service and Primary Animal Health Care will assist in defining the future roles, training and services in the profession.

The profession has during the past few years engaged in several discussions on ensuring that services are accessible to the public at large. It is in this light that I am delighted to see that a number of candidates will during September 2007 be sitting for the examinations in an attempt to be registered with the Council and to be part of the profession in providing services to the public in South Africa .  The efforts of the Education Committee, examiners, moderators, and institutions that assisted in the preparation of the examination are much appreciated and I would like to wish the candidates success in their attempts.

The 3^rd-8^th September 2007 was identified as a Rabies Week which culminated in the celebration of the International Rabies Day on the 8^th of September 2007 .  Several events were organised in various provinces and we are informed that the members of the profession and various stake holders which included the medical professionals, conservationists, animal welfare organisations, etc participated in the events. Such multi-disciplinary efforts will no doubt improve the image of the professions among the public and will also ensure that we reduce the number of avoidable cases (both animal and human) reported in the country and improve on the relationship between the Veterinary and Medical professionals.

Lastly, I would like to thank all members of the professions and various organisations that have to date made several inputs to the Council in an effort to improve our mandate and service delivery and I hope that such contributions will continue. The profession and Council still have several challenges and tasks ahead and I am certain that with the necessary support and contribution from all members of the profession, various organisations, Council members and relentless efforts of the Administration, we will together ensure that we achieve our set goals, deliver on our mandate and contribute towards the promotion of public health and poverty alleviation in South Africa.