THE Eastern Cape Government Cabinet [Executive Council] has expressed its support for the establishment of a Veterinary Sciences Faculty at the University of Fort Hare as a catalyst for a Livestock Development Programme which is expected to be a key driver of the Agriculture Economic Transformation Strategy of the Eastern Cape.
The amalgamation of the Medical University of Southern Africa (MEDUNSA) veterinary faculty and the University of Pretoria (UP) in 1990 meant that only UP currently offers veterinary sciences studies in South Africa.
The UP Veterinary Faculty, on average, produces 120 veterinarians each year including students who are from outside South Africa. The national demand for veterinarians, which stands at 250 per annum, is therefore not being met by this facility, a press release by the Eastern Cape government cabinet indicated today.
“To this end, the Minister of Higher Education & Training established a multi-sectoral Joint Technical Task Team (JTTT), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (DAFF) as well as the Ministry of Health, to explore the modalities of establishing a second veterinary faculty in South Africa.”
As the Eastern Cape was trying to position itself as the obvious choice for this second Veterinary Sciences Faculty as part of the province’s stated objective of making agriculture the ‘game-changer’ in the economic transformation and growth strategy as outlined in this year’s State of the Province Address (SoPA) by Premier Phumulo Masualle as well as this year’s Policy Speech of the Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) by MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane, UFH has pronounced itself ready to host the veterinary school.
