NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 942
DATE OF PUBLICATION: FRIDAY 28 AUGUST 2009 [IQP No 12 -2009]
FIRST SESSION, FOURTH PARLIAMENT
Question 942 for Written Reply, National Assembly: Mr. P J C Pretorius (DA) to
ask the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:
1) Whether newly qualified veterinarians are required to do a period of compulsory
community service; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether it is the intention to introduce compulsory community service for newly
qualified veterinarians; if not, why not; if so, (a) why will such a service be necessary,
(b) when will it be introduced and (c) how long will the service be;
(3) whether all stakeholders have been consulted; if not, why not; if so, (a) which
stakeholders have been consulted and (b) what were their views in each case?
NW1040E
REPLY:
(1) Newly qualified veterinarians are not required to do a period of Compulsory Community
Service at the moment. The programme will require additional funding for implementation and
the amendment of the Veterinary and the Para-veterinary Act.
(2) It is the intention of the Department to introduce a compulsory community service for newly
qualified veterinarians.
a. Such a service will be necessary in a short term to address:
i.
skewed distribution Veterinarians in the rural areas
ii. the migration rate of newly qualified Veterinarians
iii. Expose newly qualified Veterinarians to challenges facing the country with
regard to rural areas and research
b. As soon as the Department gets funding for the programme, the programme will be
implemented.
c. As agreed with all the stakeholders, the compulsory community service will be for
one year only.
whether all stakeholders have been consulted; if not, why not; if so, (a) which
stakeholders have been consulted and (b) what were their views in each case?
3. Almost all the stakeholders have been consulted.
(a) The stakeholders were consulted through facilitator-formatted-tailored workshops, openended questionnaire-based surveys, semi-structured interviews. The lists of the
stakeholders consulted included:

Veterinary students (Faculty of Veterinary Science of the university of Pretoria)

Parastatals and government agencies such as Agriculture Research Council (ARC),
and Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP)

Veterinary academics (Faculty of Veterinary Science of the university of Pretoria)

South African Veterinary Association (including various specialist groups and private
practice owners)

Various Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as animal welfare
organizations including National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(NSPCA), Peoples’ Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), Animal Anti-cruelty League
(AACL), Community Veterinary Clinics (CVCs), etc

Animal Health Forum (which include all industry players such as Red Meat
Producers Organisation (RPO), Red Meat Abattoir Association (RMAA), SA Ostrich
Chamber (SAOBC), Milk Producer’s Organization (MPO), SA Pork Producers, etc)

South African Veterinary Council

Various government departments including all 9 Provincial Departments of
Agriculture, South African National Defence Force (SANDF), South African Police
Services (SAPS), etc