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UFS to establish South Africa’s second veterinary training facility

16 June 2025 | Story Martinette Brits | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State (UFS) is advancing plans to establish a new veterinary science programme – set to become only the second of its kind in South Africa. This initiative includes the development of a professionally accredited Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) degree and a state-of-the-art veterinary teaching hospital on the South Campus in Bloemfontein. It will also leverage the university’s Paradys Experimental Farm, home to advanced agricultural infrastructure and established production animal herds.

“The UFS is planning a new veterinary programme, strategically supported by the unique infrastructure and resources of its South Campus,” says Prof Johan van Niekerk, Vice-Dean of Agriculture in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. “Located in close proximity to the Paradys Experimental Farm, the campus provides an ideal environment for practical veterinary training. The farm’s real-world livestock systems will offer students invaluable experiential learning opportunities in animal care, disease management, and sustainable agriculture.”

In her installation address delivered on Monday 9 June 2025, Prof Hester C. Klopper, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS, highlighted the importance of this development, noting that it will position the university as a key contributor to veterinary science education in South Africa. "The establishment of a veterinary science programme at the UFS reflects our commitment to transdisciplinary research and addressing national priorities through innovation in higher education. This initiative not only strengthens our role in advancing food security, animal health, and sustainable agriculture, but also positions the UFS as a pivotal contributor to the continent’s development goals in these critical sectors."

This move comes in direct response to the country’s pressing need for more veterinary professionals, a shortage that poses risks to food security, animal welfare, public health, and agricultural productivity.

According to a report by the Western Cape Government (South Africa is Bleeding Veterinarians, February 2023), South Africa has only 60 to 70 veterinarians per million people – far below the international norm of 200 to 400 per million. This critical gap underscores the urgency of expanding veterinary education and training opportunities.

“This initiative directly addresses a national priority while aligning with continental and global aspirations towards sustainable development – especially in the areas of modern agriculture, food security, and environmental sustainability,” says Dr Nalize Scheepers from the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development.

Building a foundation for veterinary excellence

Although still in the early stages, the project has received in-principle approval from the Minister of Higher Education and Training, the Department of Agriculture (DoA), the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), and the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC).

The university has been exploring the feasibility of this programme for the past five years, involving consultations with various stakeholders in the higher education and veterinary sectors. "As a public higher education institution, we are subject to national regulation and will confirm commencement dates once final approval and accreditation of the qualification are secured," says Dr Scheepers.

As part of this initiative, a veterinary academic hospital is planned on the South Campus. “The facility will feature clinical training facilities – providing students with supervised, hands-on experience in animal diagnosis, surgery, and treatment; public veterinary services – offering essential care to local farmers, livestock owners, and pet owners in the surrounding communities; and research support – enabling applied research in critical areas such as animal health, epidemiology, and public health,” says Prof van Niekerk.

Beyond supporting academic excellence, the planned hospital will play a vital role in serving the wider agricultural community. “The hospital will address the urgent shortage of veterinary services in the region and contribute to the province’s animal health and food security goals,” he adds.

Initially, the BVSc degree will be offered within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, with plans to establish a dedicated School of Veterinary Science as the programme develops. The initiative also supports the UFS One Health Initiative, creating broad opportunities for research and development.

News Archive

UFS awards honorary doctorate to global peace ambassador Dr Lakhdar Brahimi

2015-07-07

Professor Heidi Hudson, Director of the Centre for Africa Studies at the UFS and Dr Lakhdar Brahimi.
Photo: Mike Rose from Mike Rose Photography

The Faculty of the Humanities and Centre for Africa Studies rewarded the contributions of Dr Lakhdar Brahimi, a prominent global peace leader, with an honorary doctorate on Thursday 2 July 2015.

The conferment formed one of the highlights of the 2015 Winter Graduations. Dr Brahimi’s work as a United Nations’ (UN) envoy, and African peace leader of note, was deeply respected by the university. Professor Heidi Hudson, Director of the Centre for Africa Studies at the UFS, accepted the PhD on his behalf.

In his acceptance speech, read by Prof Hudson at the Chancellor’s Dinner the same evening, Dr Brahimi expressed his gratitude to the university. “I deeply appreciate your generous recognition, and even now, in the twilight years of my life, I shall try to be worthy of your confidence in everything I say or do.”

“My generation did its share: its successes and its failures are things of the past. We must accept to be judged by you, the graduates. You, the young graduates here at the University of the Free State, and your fellow members of the African intellectual elite, have an exciting opportunity to take on the challenges and fulfil the dreams you have. We must accept to be judged by you.”

Algerian-born Dr Brahimi was first involved with the UN in 1992 as rapporteur to the Earth Summit. Distinctively, he is the most-frequently appointed special envoy of the UN. Amongst many other countries, he has worked as a mediator for South Africa, Haiti, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Burundi, Angola, Liberia, Nigeria, Sudan, and Côte d’Ivoire on behalf of the UN.

Significant peacekeeping efforts in South Africa (1993- 1994)

The ambassador– in his capacity as special representative to South Africa from December 1993 to June 1994 –played a direct role in South Africa’s democratic transition.

Prof Hudson expressed appreciation for the ambassador’s role in facilitating a peaceful transition from South Africa’s Nationalist government into the current democratic dispensation.

“One of the reasons we selected him as recipient of the honorary doctorate, is because of what he did for the African continent,” she said.

In addition, she commented Dr Brahimi for being a living testament of Ubuntu. “He has displayed an ethic of humanism in everything that he has done, in the way that he has mediated in certain conflicts - his main contribution is as a mediator.

According to Hudson, his humility, modesty, and generosity are the epitome of Ubuntu which states that “I am because we are.”

Dr Brahimi as a global peace practitioner

Dr Brahimi served as Undersecretary-General of the Arab League, Arab League Special Envoy for Lebanon, and Foreign Minister of Algeria.

The UN Peace-building Commission was established as a result of recommendations in his2000 Report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations (Brahimi Report).

Since 2007, Dr Brahimi has been a member in The Elders - an alliance chaired by Kofi Annan -of peace and human rights advocates including Desmond Tutu, Graça Machel, Mary Robinson, and Jimmy Carter. His passion for justice led to his membership in the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor.

In 2010, he was Laureate of the Special Jury Prize for Conflict Prevention, awarded by the Chirac Foundation (France), which promotes international peace and security.

Dr Brahimi’s influence in Peace Education

The Brahimi Report has had an indelible impact on scholars specialising in the broad field of peace operations. Dr Brahimi’s writings have also contributed to knowledge on post-conflict reconstruction and development (PCRD), a signification part of the African Union’s narrative.

He is a distinguished senior fellow at the Centre for the Study of Global Governance at the London School of Economics. He has taught a postgraduate course on Conflict Resolution at Sciences Po, Paris (2011); is Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University; and is affiliated to the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton, where he was a visiting professor from 2006 to 2008.

In addition, Dr Brahimi is a founding member of the French-language Journal of Palestine Studies, and a board member of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

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