scholarly journals Veterinary education in South Africa : the classes of 1938 and 1939 : historical article

Author(s):  
R. D. Bigalke

Concise descriptions are given of the life histories of the 10 members of the classes of 1938 and 1939. All of them initially joined the government service, Hugo, Steenekamp and Schatz spending their entire careers in the South African Veterinary (Field) Services. Mansvelt, the first recipient of the much-coveted Theiler medal, was the 2nd veterinarian to be appointed Director of Veterinary Services, a position specially created for the 'Field' in 1962. Having first established a successful private practice, Hofmeyr was appointed as the 1st full-time Professor of Surgery of the Onderstepoort Faculty in 1958 and its 1st full-time Dean in 1976. Albertyn opted for a career in public health, becoming director of 1 of the largest local municipal abattoirs. Turner spent virtually his entire career in private practice and was eventually joined by Brown who had served in the British Colonial Veterinary Service for many years. Fick was a government veterinarian for his entire career, first in South Africa, then in the British Colonial Service (for 13 years) and finally returning to South Africa. Like Hugo, Muller filled a senior position in Veterinary (Field) Services before he opted for a farming career.

Author(s):  
R.D. Bigalke

The Class of 1934 included 2 graduates who created milestones for the veterinary profession in South Africa. Jack Boswell was the first Onderstepoort graduate to start his own private practice without ever joining the government service. George van der Wath has the distinction of being the only South African veterinarian to become Chairman of the prestigious South African Wool Board. Ashton Tarr was President of the South African Veterinary Medical Association from 1966-1969. Concise descriptions are given of the varied life histories of the 14 members of the Classes of 1934 and 1935. All except Boswell initially joined government service, one serving mainly in the Colonial Service before eventually returning to South Africa. Three spent their entire careers in the South African Veterinary (Field) Services, finally occupying very senior positions in that division. One ended his career lecturing at a university. Lambrechts was the first veterinarian to occupy the 'resurrected' post of Director of Veterinary Services reserved for field veterinarians. Only one of the graduates opted for research, but went farming after obtaining a DVSc degree. Three spent the greater part of their careers in private practice, Thiel from as early as 1937. Two went into municipal (public health) service, one becoming director of an abattoir. Only one saw military service in World War II. Two died before they were 50 years old. Unfortunately, virtually nothing is known about Erasmus' career. At 97 Thiel holds the distinction of being the oldest Onderstepoort graduate.


Author(s):  
R.D. Bigalke

With only two students in the final year, the class of 1930 was the 2nd smallest in the history of the Onderstepoort Faculty. Noteworthy is that the class photograph is composed of individual shots of the graduates and that 1 photograph was taken several years after qualification. The photograph of the Class of 1931 is the more customary composite one. The Dean, Prof. P J du Toit, does not feature in either. Concise descriptions are given of the life histories of the 8 graduates. Again their careers show considerable variation. Two devoted their entire pre-retirement careers to South Africa's Division of Veterinary Services as state veterinarians, both reaching very senior positions. A third died shortly after leaving government service for private practice. None made a career out of research at Onderstepoort, although 2 had short stints at the Institute. One, said to have been the youngest veterinarian in the British Empire, spent the latter part of his relatively short life in a large Johannesburg practice as a specialist surgeon. Another was in military service for virtually his entire career. One had a very varied career, which included government service, private practice, research, public health and the pharmaceutical industry. One spent most of his impressive career in the Colonial Service in Swaziland and Tanganyika (now Tanzania) but eventually returned to private practice in South Africa, whereas another was similarly, but less conscientiously, involved in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Swaziland. Two saw military service during World War II, one as Commanding Officer of a Regiment in the South African Artillery and the other in the South African Veterinary Corps.


Author(s):  
R.D. Bigalke

Joan Morice, a member of the class of 1927, broke the tradition of male student domination at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty, but it took almost 20 years before other young ladies started following her courageous example. The accompanying photograph is unusual in the sense that the students appear in their then customary white coats instead of graduation regalia and that their dean is absent. Concise descriptions are given of the life histories of the 8 graduates. Their careers show more variation than in previous years. Only 1 of them spent his entire career at the Onderstepoort Research Institute and its Faculty, whereas another left the Institute after several years for a well-known pharmaceutical company in the United Kingdom. Although 1 entered private practice shortly after qualifying, she did not make it her permanent career and sadly died at the early age of 44. Another made the move from the field into private practice fairly late in his productive life. One left South Africa to spend most of his career in the Colonial Service in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) and later even joined the FAOin Rome. Two spent their entire careers in the field as state veterinarians - 1 died at the age of only 43 - and a third moved from the field to a locally-based pharmaceutical company.


2009 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Marwick

Private practice became the major vocation of local veterinarians from about 1945. Soga was probably the first qualified South African veterinarian to practice privately on a limited scale in the 1800s. Jack Boswell was the first locally qualified (in 1934) veterinarian to go directly into practice without first working for the government and is regarded as the father of private practice in South Africa. Boet Bekker worked for the government before setting up a successful practice in 1935.


Author(s):  
R. D. Bigalke

Concise descriptions are given of the varied life histories of the students of the classes of 1936 and 1937. Consisting of 14 students, the class of 1936 was the largest of the pre-war classes of the Onderstepoort Faculty. Three of the 6 students in the 1937 class were actually repeating their final year, therefore the total number described below is 17 rather than 20. The detailed analysis of their careers reveals the presence of a remarkable degree of variation. Although all except Brookes, who apparently went directly into the newly established practice of Jack Boswell, initially joined the local government service, most of them became specialists in their disciplines. Four soon established very successful private practices. Five of the 6 who spent their entire careers in the South African Veterinary (Field) Services, finally occupied very senior positions in that division. One of them (Kluge) made a major contribution to the control of tsetse flies in this country and another (Belonje) became a specialist in equine infertility. Four of the graduates opted for a research career, 3 of them also teaching at the Faculty. Of all of these, only De Boom (Anatomy & Embryology), who was a consummate teacher, took on a fulltime position as Professor and Head of the Department when the Faculty became independent from the Onderstepoort Research Institute in 1973. De Lange (Surgery & Gynaecology), however, relinquished his professorship to become a deputy director of the Institute. Sutton became a household name to the many students who passed through his hands in Animal Management. Haig (Virology) became one of the most famous of the many researchers produced by Onderstepoort. Van der Walt showed much promise as a researcher but died at the age of only 45. Two more died before they were 35 years old. Two had sons who also became veterinarians while one's grandson followed in his grandfather's and father's footsteps.


Author(s):  
R.D. Bigalke

The available photographs of the Classes of 1928 and 1929 are confusing because they not only bear the same date (1929) but are also composed of individual shots of the graduates rather than the customary group photograph. An answer to the riddle was provided by the presence of J A Thorburn (a member of the Class of 1927) who was a 'super' and qualified in 1928, in the one photograph, together with MC Robinson who also graduated in 1928. The photograph dated 1929 on which 4 graduates and the Dean, Prof. Dr P J du Toit, appear is that of the Class of 1928.The other photograph dated 1929 in which the Dean is absent is therefore dated correctly. Concise descriptions are given of the life histories of the nine graduates. Their careers show considerable variation. Only one of them spent his entire career at the Onderstepoort Research Institute as a very eminent research scientist and professor, and two became well-known professors at the Onderstepoort Faculty. Two were in municipal service for most of their careers and a third ended up working for a municipal authority after spending some time in England and at the Onderstepoort Research Institute. Two spent virtually their entire careers in the field as state veterinarians and a third farmed for most of his career, although he also dabbled in private practice and managed one of the provincial game parks in Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal) for some time. Four served in the South African Veterinary Corps during World War II.


Author(s):  
Ruksana Osman ◽  
Felix Maringe

Higher education in South Africa, as elsewhere in the world, is under pressure to reinvent and transform itself. Traditionally it has enjoyed the financial support of the government and has also enjoyed an autonomous existence. In South Africa, since the demise of apartheid, the education policy terrain has shifted remarkably fast and policies have required that universities respond to a national plan for higher education that commits universities to become cost- effective, massified institutions opening access to all who were historically excluded due to apartheid’s policies of educational exclusion. Universities in the higher education sector as a whole are required to generate strategies that broaden access routes for disadvantaged groups and at the same time consider curriculum strategies that ensure success and inclusivity to such groups after access. In addition to these daunting challenges, the higher education sector has experienced a decrease in government funding and an increase in government control. Student-led protest around the cost of higher education has also introduced a new kind of pressure point on universities. These shifts are in sharp contrast to the more elite traditional model of higher education in South Africa, which has been mostly residential institutions focusing on full-time study, with lectures, seminars, and laboratory demonstrations as the dominant forms of pedagogy. This model is also based on sets of internal rules designed to support staff to spearhead the knowledge-production processes. They function best under stable environments and tend to meander and falter when the foundations for stability are threatened.


Author(s):  
Kirsty-Lee Sharp ◽  
Costa Synodinos

Objective - The primary objective of this study is to identify and explain the antecedents of organic food purchase behaviour of Generation Y students in the South African context. This study aimed to shed some light on Generation Ystudents' health consciousness, perceived behaviour control, convenience, attitudes, purchase intentions, and actual buying behaviourtoward organic food products. The study also attempted to determine the underlying strengths and relationships between the constructs used in the measurement scale. Lastly, gender relationships were investigated to determine if any differences existed between males and females in terms of their organic food product purchases. Methodology/Technique - This research study employed a descriptive, non-probability, convenience sampling design. The intended target population was full-time registered undergraduate Generation Y students aged between 18 and 24 years. The sample size was 200 students based across the four faculties within the chosen higher education institution, namely the Faculty of Management Sciences, the Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Faculty of Human Sciences. The 200 self-administered questionnaires were distributed during recess times as to not to disrupt any learning time. The questionnaire contained a cover letter explaining the purpose of the study and that participation in the study was completely voluntary. Findings - The measurement scale displayed adequate reliability and validity for all constructs. Furthermore, all constructs had statistically significant positive means, indicating that Generation Y students are health-conscious, care for the opinions of friends and family, display pro-organic attitudes, intentions, and behaviour. Results from this study indicate that there is a need for food organizations to consider implementing organic-based products in their product offerings within the South African market. Novelty - Investigation oforganic food product purchase behaviouramong South African Generation Y students (Consumer behaviour). Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Organic Foods; Purchase Behaviour; Generation Y, South Africa. JEL Classification: M31, M39.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
France Khutso Lavhelani Kgobe

This paper explores the potency of rural cooperatives for the effective planning and implementation of rural strategies to address poverty. Rural cooperatives function as a participatory approach that provides the potential to equip and empower people in rural areas with various skills. Hence, rural cooperatives represent the means and strategies to unshackle rural people from the vicious circle of poverty. The contestation about a deadlock of rural development has become pertinent in the recent and ongoing political transformation in South Africa. This paper is grounded on the social capital theory and its ideals. As such, it depends on a literature review for its premise, argument, crux and purpose, as well as drawing up results and conclusions. The paper gathers information in respect of various scholars’ notions on rural cooperatives and rural development from related articles, journals and books. The paper reveals that where the South African government is confronted and characterised by some form of upheaval and service delivery challenges, so rural cooperatives are fit to capacitate citizens to avoid depending on the government for scarce resources. The paper further reveals that rural cooperatives are deemed to ameliorate the long-standing patterns of developmental backlogs in almost all South African municipalities. The conclusion that can be made from this paper is that the authentic promotion of rural development in the formulation of a well-informed legislative framework, that is clear and unambiguous, can deal effectively with the challenges of rural cooperatives.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-122
Author(s):  
Jamil Ddamulira Mujuzi

In South Africa, persons or companies convicted of fraud or corruption or companies whose directors have been convicted are debarred from participating in bidding for government tenders. Although it is easy to establish whether or not a natural person has been convicted of an offence, because a certificate can be obtained from the South African Police Service to that effect, it is the opposite with juristic persons. This issue came up in the case of Namasthethu Electrical (Pty) Ltd v City of Cape Town and Another in which the appellant company was awarded a government tender although the company and its former director had been convicted of fraud and corruption. The purpose of this article is to analyse this judgment and show the challenges that the government is faced with when dealing with companies that have been convicted of offences that bid for government tenders. Because South Africa is in the process of enacting public procurement legislation, the Public Procurement Bill was published for comment in early 2020. One of the issues addressed in the Bill relates to debarring bidders who have been convicted of some offences from bidding for government tenders. Based on the facts of this case and legislation from other African countries, the author suggests ways in which the provisions of the Bill could be strengthened to address this issue.


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