DRDAR Vet Services gets boost

By Zukiswa Gqamane

Eastern Cape MEC of the department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) Xolile Nqatha welcomed the 23 Compulsory Community Service Veterinarians (CCS vets) who will be attached to the department for a period of 12 months in the Eastern Cape Province.

The vets are part of a programme by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) aimed at ensuring that qualified vets service the previously disadvantaged communities for a period of 12 months providing primary animal health care including clinical service using well-equipped state of the art mobile clinics.

Speaking during the introduction ceremony held at the Tsolo Agricultural and Rural Development Institute (TARDI), Nqatha wished the 4th intake of the DRDAR CCS Vets all the best in their twelve month stay in the province. MEC Nqatha, further urged the Eastern Cape communities to assist in creating safe and conducive environment, which will nable CCS Vets to succeed in offering their much needed skills and gain experience.

AfriVet also used the occasion to donate a vehicle to be used by vets who travel to rural areas across the province.Executive Director of AfriVet Vuyokazi Makapela revealed the vision of her company to build relations with the provincial government and communities in a fight against Rabies which is a viral disease that causes the inflammation of the brain in warm blooded animals including humans.

“When our CEO Dr Peter Oberem heard of the constraints facing the veterinary services in the Eastern Cape province, we decided to heed the president’s call and do our part for our province; as the saying goes ‘charity begins at home’. So, it is a great pleasure today to meet with you and handover a double cab bakkie and a trailer, with which these vetenarians and animal health technicians will be able to reach the needy communities in the province so that in partnership we fight the scourge of rabies in the Eastern Cape,” said Makapela.

“We will also provide educational pamphlets in both Xhosa and English about the disease so that everyone is aware on how to prevent it, and take responsibility to get their dogs and cats vaccinated,”

Makupula added.Accepting the vehicle of behalf of the department, MEC Nqatha expressed his heartfelt gratitude to AfriVet and the kind gesture extended by the company to the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform in its plight to prevent the loss of human and animal life due to diseases outbreak.

DRDAR will ensure that the vehicle is used to reach even the most rural communities to provide much needed veterinary services to the people of the Eastern Cape, in order to curb the death of humans and animals due to rabies.