CAREER - My SA Career Guide

free from any disease that will render
the meat unsafe for human consumption.
How long have you been in your current
job?
I have been in the fi eld of International
Animal Health and Transboundary Animal
Disease Research for around six
years now, although I have been in this
specifi c post for just a year.
What qualifi cation do you have?
I have a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine
and Surgery (BVMCh) degree,
Magister Scientiae degree in Pathology
(MSc)(Path) , as well as the Certifi cate
in Food Hygiene, Health and Safety.
Were did you obtain it and how long
did it take?
I obtained my BVMCh degree in 1999
at the then Medical University of Southern
Africa (MEDUNSA), which is now
the Medical campus of the University of
Limpopo. It was a six year degree and I
started in 1994, taking exactly 6 years.
Please note that the Veterinary Faculty
of MEDUNSA was amalgamated to the
Faculty of Veterinary Science of the
University of Pretoria. Therefore, any
prospective student wishing to study
Veterinary Medicine must approach the
University of Pretoria, where it is the
only faculty of this nature in the country.
MSc (Path) is a two year degree that I
obtained from the Utrecht University in
Netherlands where I studied from September
2001 to August 2003.
I obtained the Certifi cate in Food Hygiene,
Health and Safety from the
Charted Institute of Environmental
Health, while I was involved in research
in the United Kingdom between 2004
and 2006.
careers by industry
What subjects are required at school
for this job?
When I applied to university, the requirement
was a minimum of 50% pass
in HG in at least Mathematics, Physical
Science and /or Biology and an overall
good Matric pass with good marks
in other subjects. In today’s secondary
education curriculum, this translates to
at least 50% in Mathematics, Physical
Science, Life Orientation English, and
other language.
Is it easy to fi nd a job in the industry
with your qualifi cation?
Defi nitely, veterinary professionals have
been declared as a ‘scarce skill’ by the
Department of Agriculture due to the
shortage of veterinarians to adequately
meet the high demand of vacancies in
government, in the industry and in the
private sector. Companies and government
are currently recruiting from
outside the country to fi ll the vacant
positions. This situation is expected to
remain the same for some time because
the industry in growing, and the need will
increase, but due to the current physical
infrastructure, the training remains the
same. Very often student vets have earmarked
employment upon graduation
as a result of contractual obligations to
their sponsors, while those without contractual
obligations are snatched up as
soon as they complete their studies by
companies that require the skills and
private practices in South Africa. Those
willing to explore avenues outside South
Africa are enjoying preferential employment
abroad as the South African veterinary
degree is a prestigious degree
and it enjoys automatic recognition by
various countries including UK, Malaysia,
Australia and New Zealand.
Dr. Tembile Songabe State Veterinarian (continued)
37
my amazing career