– DA demands immediate investigation by MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Nakedi Kekana into allegations that some Limpopo State Veterinarians may be unqualified or not registered.
– Limpopo cannot afford uncertainty about the officials responsible for controlling animal disease.
– MEC Nakedi Kekana must establish whether anyone is being paid as a State Veterinarian without performing those duties.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo has received worrying allegations that certain employees of the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are employed as State Veterinarians despite not having the required recognised qualifications or current registration with the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC). The DA calls on MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Nakedi Kekana to urgently investigate these allegations, including claims that certain employees are being remunerated as State Veterinarians without performing the duties attached to those posts.
The allegations are simply too serious to ignore and are particularly unconscionable during the current national FMD disaster response. Limpopo farmers depend on properly qualified veterinarians to control outbreaks, protect livestock and prevent further damage to the agricultural economy.
It has also been alleged that certain people within the department are receiving remuneration attached to State Veterinarian posts despite not performing the duties of those posts.
The department is further understood to have employed people who had obtained their veterinarian qualifications in Zambia and afforded them time to comply with South African qualification and professional registration requirements. It is alleged that some of these individuals have still not met those requirements.
The DA demands that MEC Kekana make the findings of the investigation public.
A person may not practise as a veterinarian unless they have a recognised veterinary qualification and are registered with the SAVC.
If these allegations are substantiated, they would expose a serious failure by the department and raise questions about how unqualified or improperly registered people were appointed and are masquerading as veterinarians, and why certain employees are being remunerated as State Veterinarians despite not performing the duties attached to those posts.
MEC Kekana must urgently confirm:
- Whether every State Veterinarian is properly qualified and currently registered with the SAVC;
- Whether anyone is being remunerated as a State Veterinarian without performing the duties of that post;
- Whether any employee appointed from outside South Africa failed to meet South African qualification or registration requirements within the period allowed;
- Who authorised any irregular appointment or payment and how much public money was involved; and
- What disciplinary, recovery and corrective action will follow if the allegations are substantiated.
Farmers must be able to trust the officials responsible for protecting their livestock.
The DA views this matter with the seriousness and gravity it deserves and will demand accountability and consequences if these allegations are substantiated, particularly in light of the current FMD crisis.