Race is on to establish country’s second veterinary school

For more than a century, the University of Pretoria (UP) has carried the torch for veterinary education in South Africa. Its faculty of veterinary science at Onderstepoort remains the country’s sole accredited institution producing veterinarians – but that may soon change.

The need for expanded veterinary training is urgent. According to publicly available figures from the regulator, the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC), the country has about 4,000 registered veterinarians. However, this figure includes many who are no longer practising or are working abroad.

That’s according to the body representing the profession, the South African Veterinary Association (SAVA). It estimates that only about 3,000 veterinarians are actively working in the country. That equates to roughly 48 veterinarians per million people – far below the international norm of 200 to 400. (Veterinary workforce ratios are typically expressed per human population, reflecting the societal demand for animal health services.)

“We’re pouring water into the bucket, but the holes at the bottom are getting bigger,” Dr Paul van der Merwe, acting managing director of SAVA, told University World News. “It’s no use increasing the intake if we don’t fix the outflow.”

He noted that about 100 vets emigrate annually, and many more leave the profession due to burnout, poor conditions or disillusionment – especially those serving in the public sector or remote areas.

GroundUp reported last year that 28% of state veterinary posts were vacant, with the situation most severe in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.

In response to the crisis, the government’s Department of Home Affairs reinstated veterinarians on the critical skills list – a reversal that acknowledges both their scarcity and strategic importance.

The race is on

Onderstepoort was not always alone. From 1982 to 1999, veterinary training was also provided at the then Medical University of Southern Africa (MEDUNSA) in Ga-Rankuwa, north of Pretoria. But, in 1999, as part of the post-apartheid restructuring of higher education in South Africa, its offering was amalgamated with UP’s to create a single national facility.

Now, a race is under way to establish South Africa’s second veterinary faculty.

At face value, the University of Fort Hare (UFH) in the Eastern Cape appears to be in the lead. It has been working towards this goal since at least 2018, when then-agriculture minister Senzeni Zokwana endorsed the idea. In 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed support, and in February 2025, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) reportedly endorsed UFH’s proposal.

But University World News can reveal that the University of the Free State (UFS) may now have the upper hand.

Dr Marcia Socikwa, deputy director-general of the DHET’s university education branch, said: “UFS is able to fund the facility and has, therefore, received positive confirmation [to proceed with planning].

“UFH has not yet confirmed funding and has yet to utilise funds previously allocated for other facilities. The department will assess UFH’s progress with its existing infrastructure.”

This distinction matters. As public institutions, both UFS and UFH rely on limited state funding – which has been under pressure for years. In a tight fiscal environment, readiness to co-fund large-scale infrastructure projects can tip the scales decisively.

UFS announced its intention to offer veterinary training along with plans to build a veterinary academic hospital in Bloemfontein in June 2025. It has already secured in-principle approval to proceed with detailed planning and sees veterinary science as a way to bolster food security, One Health, and sustainable agriculture.

UFH, meanwhile, has established a veterinary science steering committee and identified land for the faculty on its Alice campus. According to its deputy vice-chancellor for teaching and learning, Professor Renuka Vithal, internal approval processes by the university’s senate and council are still under way.

Old faithful

For now, UP continues to do the heavy lifting. According to Professor Vinny Naidoo, the dean of veterinary science, they receive about 1,200 applications annually for just 190 places. The faculty aims to graduate about 170 veterinarians a year.

“We are unable to increase numbers further due to the limited size of lecture halls, practical spaces, and the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital,” he told UWN. “Further expansion would require substantial investment.”

Still, UP welcomes the idea of another veterinary school. “It offers the country more opportunities to meet our veterinary requirements,” Naidoo said.

“From an academic point of view, having two schools allows for more academic discussions on national issues, which will strengthen the field even more.”

Stalled attempts

At least two other public institutions have previously considered veterinary training.

North-West University (NWU) offers a diploma and a BSc in Animal Health on its Mahikeng Campus. This dates back to 1988, when the campus was part of the former University of Bophuthatswana. Spokesperson Louis Jacobs told University World News that offering veterinary science remains a strategic priority for NWU, and it may revisit the idea after launching the NWU Desmond Tutu School of Medicine in 2028 and a planned school for mines and mining engineering later.

A letter in the Stellenbosch University (SU) Archives shows that the institution expressed interest in 1962 and again in 1978. It never received the go-ahead and decided to rather focus on other priorities, media manager Martin Viljoen told University World News.

Private players

Outside the public sector, Equine-Librium College in Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape offers a private veterinary-related degree: a BSc in Veterinary Physiotherapy. Accredited by the DHET, the Council on Higher Education (CHE), the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the SAVC, the degree allows for registration as a veterinary physiotherapist.

They typically get around 40 applicants per year and accept 25, with the intention to graduate 15 to 20 annually, Vice-Principal Tom Ovendale told University World News.

Registrar Ronel van der Sijde said that, in addition, the college has accredited a research masters degree due to be launched next year and is developing veterinary nursing and bridging programmes.

“It is our dream to present veterinary science to train veterinarians in future years,” she said.

“It is a huge amount of work to get all the accreditations, but after that it is also a massive organisational and management mission to present such critical skills on a proper internationally recognised level. But we are taking it one step at a time.”

SAVA confirmed that “a private group” has proposed a blended veterinary training model – combining online theory with practical components offered by specialist interest groups of practising vets.

Annette Willemse, media liaison officer of Akademia, a private Christian, Afrikaans-medium university, told University World News that veterinary science is not currently on the cards, though agricultural programmes are planned as part of a major campus expansion set for completion in 2028.

Stadio Higher Education, which operates across multiple campuses and fields, did not respond to queries from UWN.

Vets without borders

In the absence of enough local training places, about 100 South Africans are studying veterinary science abroad, according to SAVA. Some return to face long registration delays due to a lack of formal recognition agreements.

One exception is South Africa’s northern neighbour, Namibia. SAVA’s Van der Merwe said that the SAVC recently signed an agreement with the Namibian Veterinary Council recognising its degree as up to South African standards.

He also said that SAVC has introduced an “amnesty” allowing foreign-trained veterinarians to practise under supervision while preparing for board exams in South Africa.

Such steps could help ease immediate shortages.

The SAVC did not respond to detailed questions submitted by University World News. These included queries about the accreditation process, workforce data, and the feasibility of blended delivery models. Despite repeated follow-ups, no comment was received.

Purpose amid pressure

The bottlenecks are clear: tight enrolment capacity, expensive infrastructure, accreditation complexity and a non-responsive regulatory body. In the meantime, South Africa’s veterinarians remain overstretched, under-supported and dwindling in number.

“There’s no point opening the tap wider if we don’t fix the leaks,” Van der Merwe said.

Yet despite the challenges, the profession continues to draw people in for the right reasons.

“It’s a huge burden carried by a small group. But if you understand all that, and you still feel called – it can be one of the most meaningful careers you can pursue,” he said.