Programme Directors
The Chairperson of the Provincial Portfolio Committee on Agriculture and
Rural Development Hon. Dodo Baloyi
Executive Mayor for Tlokwe Local Municipality, Cllr Maphetlhe Maphetlhe
Head of Dept of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Kgabi Mogajane
Our respected stakeholders, in particular the representatives from the South
Africa National Accreditation System (SANAS), the Onderstepoort Biological
Products, the North West University and University of Pretoria
Representatives from the department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Veterinary personnel from other provinces who are present here today,
Staff working in our Potchefstroom Veterinary laboratory under the
leadership of Dr Poncho Mokaila
Management of the provincial department of Agriculture and Rural
Development
Members of the media present here today,
Distinguished guests
Good morning to all of you.
Programme Directors, allow me to express my gratitude to everybody for having honoured our invitation to come and celebrate this important day with us. This day is not only important in the calendar of provision of veterinary services in our country, but it is more important because it forms part of the international calendar of activities in honour of our very own Tata Nelson Mandela. The activities planned to honour this legend reached a peak yesterday, as the world celebrated his life by doing good for those who need help.
I must indicate programme directors that I am happy that as a department, we have participated meaningfully in those activities, and that today’s occasion will also serve as our commitment to ensure that each day becomes a Nelson Mandela day, particularly in respect of the provision of veterinary diagnostic services.
It has been a long road for us, but as Madiba once said, “it always seems impossible until it is done”. We have done it. We have passed the test and as it has been confirmed, we are the first ever in the country, to have achieved the status of being internationally accredited on Veterinary Serology and Microbiology.
The American expert of leadership, Dr John Maxwell who agrees with Madiba’s quote, says “the secret to your success is in your daily agenda”. I am stating these quotations ladies and gentlemen, in my attempt to illustrate the kind of commitment and efforts the department has put, in its pursuit for attainment of this recognition. Today we are pleased because our efforts did not go unrecognised.
Programme directors, the subject that brought us here today, is very technical in nature, and we must not take it too lightly because of its technicality. I am saying this because I often hear those in the field of law, stating that some particular cases have been won or lost, because of technicalities.
This means, technical matters have the power of determining our future, and my plea to all of us is to approach our provision of veterinary services with that understanding.
The awarding of this certificate is for me, not just a success. It carries with it a lot of responsibilities, because the world is now looking upon us to defend this highly regulated domain. The integrity of our department, our province and our country, is now being placed in our hands for protection.
We cannot allow that to slip through our fingers. We are currently assisting some provincial veterinary laboratories in the country, including the countries of Tanzania and Malawi which fall within the SADC region, in implementing the quality control procedures critical for an internationally recognised veterinary laboratory. We are hopeful that with our assistance, they too, will eventually pass the test.
Therefore, I shall have failed in my responsibility as a provincial Member of the Executive Council responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development, if I were to not ensure that all necessary resources are availed, in pursuit for quality and sustainable veterinary diagnostic services. As a province, we are not immune to the national challenge of attracting and retaining technical skills in government, with veterinary laboratory skills being one of those falling within the brackets of scarce skills.
We have a responsibility as government to ensure that competent professionals become part of us, and that can be influenced by the manner in which we are rendering our services. Everybody wants to be part of the winning teams. As we will be spreading our wings in support of other provinces and countries, I urge everybody involved to display the diligence and proficiency that is attached to this profession, especially because the tests results released by our laboratory on all controlled animal diseases, are now internationally judged reliable. We cannot afford to compromise this recognition.
We need to ensure that the certificate we are receiving today speaks for itself. This can only happen if the men and women employed to hoist high the veterinary diagnostic flag, were to double their efforts of being equal to the task.
I want to take this opportunity to pass our sincere gratitude to the department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for critically assessing our performance and showing us the right direction. This is the case because the audit conducted by DAFF in 2010, authorised the Potchefstroom Veterinary laboratory to conduct tests for controlled diseases in line with the World Organisation for Animal Health’s international standards for diagnostic laboratories, and that assessment paved the way for this milestone.
Our partners, Onderstepoort Biological Products, the North West University and University of Pretoria, thank you for being supportive to our course. To all staff at the laboratory, you have made it and congratulations once again. As the South Africa National Accreditation System will today be formally presenting to us the certificate earned through your hard work and wisdom, continue to hoist high the flag of veterinary diagnostic services and defend the image of your profession. Remember, the integrity of our country is in your capable hands.
Allow me programme directors to conclude my address by quoting from our anti-apartheid icon, Dr Nelson Mandela who in his Long Walk to Freedom wrote, and I quote “I have walked that long road, I have tried not to falter, I have made missteps along the way, but I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb”.
With this quote ladies and gentlemen, I remind all involved in the process of maintaining our status of being internationally accredited that everything in life is a course with endless obstacles, and that those obstacles are there to be jumped over.
We have no doubt in our minds that you will continue to represent this country well.
Thank you…..Ke a leboga
