LIMPOPO – The DA in Limpopo has called for an urgent investigation into allegations that some State Veterinarians in the province may be unqualified or not registered with the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC).

In a statement, the party says it has written to MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Nakedi Kekana demanding answers amid the current national Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) disaster response.

The DA said it has received worrying allegations that certain employees of the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are employed as State Veterinarians despite not having recognised qualifications or current registration with the SAVC.

The party further alleges that some individuals 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,” the DA said.

Limpopo farmers depend on properly qualified veterinarians to control outbreaks, protect livestock and prevent further damage to the agricultural economy.

Concerns over foreign qualifications

The party also says the department is further understood to have employed people who had obtained their veterinary 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 has demanded that MEC Kekana make the findings of the investigation public, adding that if the allegations are substantiated, they would expose a serious failure by the department.

Key questions that must be answered

The DA has called on the MEC to 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 qualification or registration requirements within the period allowed
• Who authorised any irregular appointment or payment and how much public money was involved
• 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 said.

The party said it views the matter with the seriousness it deserves and will demand accountability and consequences if the allegations are substantiated, particularly in light of the current FMD crisis.