In a bid to tackle unemployment and improve access to animal healthcare services in rural areas, the Eastern Cape government has invested R512,000 to support 13 animal health technicians (AHTs) in establishing their own primary animal healthcare facilities.
The initiative is spearheaded by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, and the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture, through its Tsolo Agriculture and Rural Development Institute (TARDI).
Training programme
The programme follows legislative reforms introduced in 2022, which created a framework enabling AHTs to operate as private sector entrepreneurs. The reforms are designed to expand access to animal health services, stimulate job creation, and unlock economic opportunities for graduates.
The 13 beneficiaries form part of the first cohort that underwent training at TARDI, focusing on both business development and animal health.
MEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Nonkqubela Pieters, officially handed over starter kits to the young entrepreneurs. The kits include essential equipment, such as animal branding kit, a dousing gun, animal castration equipment, biosecurity equipment, mini fridges, cooler boxes, and microscopes, among others.
Critical intervention
Speaking at the handover ceremony on Tuesday, Pieters described the establishment of primary animal healthcare facilities within local communities, as a “critical intervention.”
“It decentralises service delivery, reduces the cost and time burden on farmers, and strengthens the first line of defence against animal disease and livestock losses. We are enhancing biosecurity and disease surveillance capacity at a community level,” Pieters said.
One of the beneficiaries, Zimasa Qwayele, who owns a primary healthcare facility in the Alfred Nzo District, said the support will significantly enhance the business.
“This equipment will enable my company to operate as a fully-fledged animal healthcare facility,” Qwayele said.
Qwayele also expressed appreciation for the coordinated intergovernmental effort, noting that the collaboration was instrumental in ensuring that AHTs in the province were empowered with business skills to run successful enterprises.
Agricultural sector shift
Representing the Department of Agriculture, Deputy Director-General Mthozami Goqwana said the programme marks a shift in the country’s agricultural sector.
“The opportunity now exists for AHTs to work with government in fighting Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), which government has been effectively fighting in collaboration with private veterinarians,” Goqwana said.
South African Veterinary Services chief executive officer, Mongezi Menye, described the initiative as a milestone in transforming the South African veterinary landscape.
“For too long, the story of the animal health technician in this country has been one of untapped potential. We faced heartbreaking reality where, according to a 2021 Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) survey, 32% to 60% of our AHT graduates were sitting at home unemployed, while our rural farmers, the very heartbeat of our agricultural economy, remained critically underserved,” Menye said.
Menye emphasised that the success of the AHTs will ultimately be measured by improvements in animal health across rural communities.
