Environment K Mosunkutu on free veterinary service
13 February 2006
Programme Directors: Dr Alan Kalake and Dr Nomvuyo Magadla
Executive Mayor of the Sedibeng District: Councillor Mlungisi Hlongwane
Executive Mayor of Emfuleni: Councillor Dikeledi Tsotetsi, in absentia
Members of the Mayoral Committees and Councillors present
Officials from both the Provincial and Local Government
Residents of Sedibeng
Invited guests
Ladies and gentlemen
It is a pleasure and an honour to be here today and to help launch this
important campaign. In communities that are still ravaged by centuries of
deprivation, communities that still struggle to put healthy food on their
tables, a campaign with sizable expenditure focusing on animals would,
logically, appear misplaced.
The fact of the matter is that our pet-care campaign has everything to do
with our government's strategic objective of developing healthy, productive and
sustainable communities. Setting resources aside to rebuild a culture of caring
for our animals indeed has everything to do with our quest to build an
effective and caring government. The real situation that confronts us all is
that some animal-borne diseases directly impact on the health and well-being of
human beings. We have, previously, been confronted with the threat of a spread
of rabies, a highly infectious and fatal disease. Places that have large
populations of stray animals are potential hotspots for such diseases. This
obviously posits a veritable threat to our very health and well-being and has
to be dealt with. The Sedibeng district is one such area with a large
population of stray animals.
Stray animals are not only a source of concern in terms of infectious
diseases. Stray animals are known to also cause fatal road accidents and
repugnant smells and pollution. This obviously is contrary to our goal of
reconstructing and developing a better life for all our people.
Embarking on a campaign such as today's pet-care awareness campaign and the
associated necessary veterinary services, we hope to also raise awareness
amongst the youth not only on the importance of veterinary services as a
socially valuable career. We also hope to further spread the consciousness that
animals also do suffer, they may not be able talk our language, they may not be
able to reason at our level, but they certainly do suffer.
In providing communities of Sedibeng with free vaccination, deworming and
general treatment of their animals, we indeed are directly contributing to our
goal of building a better life for all. This six month free veterinary service
campaign will, among others, provide vaccinations and de-worming medical
treatment for our animals. We also shall focus on animal sterilisation: medical
treatment that should also contribute to curbing the growth of unwanted and
unloved stray animals that are prone to animal diseases, some of which are
communicable to human beings.
I therefore wish to call on the people of Sedibeng to support this project
throughout its duration. It also is of importance to, after this introductory
period, continue with the culture of proper and effective animal care. In
conclusion, I wish to leave you with some ecclesiastic wisdom to think about.
The book of proverbs says "a righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but
the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."
I thank you all.
Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, Gauteng
Provincial Government
13 February 2007
