Pretoria, South Africa
South Africa : Passing away of Dr Willie Ungerer (28.12)
January 07, 2013
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From left to right : Dr. Mpho Maja, Director of Animal Health (DAH) of the Republic of South Africa, Dr Moetapele Letshwenyo, WOAH Sub-Regional Representative for Southern Africa and Professor Christopher Marufu, University Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science, and SASVEPM Vice-President Picture (c) SASVEPM, 2024.
On the evening of 22 August 2024, in the beautiful city of Cape Town in South Africa, in the vicinity of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Dr Moetapele Letshwenyo was awarded the Dr Willie Ungerer Memorial Prize for Epidemiology Excellence awarded by the Southern African Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (SASVEPM).
From left to right : Dr. Mpho Maja, Director of Animal Health (DAH) of the Republic of South Africa, Dr Moetapele Letshwenyo, WOAH Sub-Regional Representative for Southern Africa and Professor Christopher Marufu, University Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science, and SASVEPM Vice-President Picture (c) SASVEPM, 2024.
Dr Moetapele Letshwenyo is the current World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Sub-Regional Representative for Southern Africa. He is a veterinarian by profession, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from Edinburgh University, a Master of Preventative Veterinary Medicine from the University of California, Davis and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Botswana. For most part of his veterinary career, he worked for the Department of Veterinary Services of Botswana primarily as a field veterinarian in several veterinary districts, such as Francistown, Selibe Phikwe, and Maun, before settling at Ministry Headquarters initially as the Department epidemiologist. In this role, he was responsible for all sanitary and phyto-sanitary matters and assisted in setting up the Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics Unit which was responsible for establishing the livestock identification and traceability system (LITS) of Botswana in 2001, among others. He coordinated the control and eradication of several outbreaks of foot and mouth diseases in the country and made presentations and talks on animal disease control in Botswana at conferences and seminars worldwide, organized by various international organizations such as OIE, FAO, AU IBAR, SADC, etc. He was a member of various technical committees of these Organisations. All this culminated with an award of a “Meritorious Honour” by the then OIE (now World Organisation for Animal Health). This medal is awarded “in recognition of outstanding technical, scientific and administrative contribution to the field of veterinary science and animal disease control”. He progressed to become the Director of Veterinary Services and OIE (WOAH) Delegate for Botswana in 2008.
In 2009 he became a Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry – a policy level assignment, which was broader than just veterinary work, as it encompassed animal production and agribusiness. He held this position until joining the World Organisation for Animal Health (commonly called OIE at the time: Office International des Epizooties) as the Sub-Regional Representative for Southern Africa in 2014.
The World Organisation for Animal Health is a standard setting body on matters of animal health, welfare and veterinary public health (zoonosis). It works closely with Member countries/territories, through the Veterinary Services to ensure compliance to international standards, in order to facilitate safe trade in animals and their products. As the Sub-Regional Representative Dr Letshwenyo is responsible for driving the mandate and representing WOAH in the sixteen member countries of the SADC sub-region, as well as in meetings with Collaborating Partners.
Dr Letshwenyo published several scientific publications on different topics including several papers on rabies control in Namibia.
The Southern African Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (SASVEPM) was formed at the end of the year 2000. The objectives were to promote veterinary epidemiology and preventive medicine; enhance communication between epidemiologists; and build capacity in epidemiology in the Southern African region. This was call to a vision and realisation that Southern Africa has unique challenges and circumstances that requires a unique regional approach. Therefore, SASVEPM aimed to provide a forum to share expertise, experience, and methodologies applicable to Southern Africa. The Society’s mission evolved over time by driving fruitful collaborations between epidemiologists within the region and promoting the One Health Approach, a vision it shares with a wide range of global institutions.
Since the inception in the year 2000, SASVEPM has organised 21 Annual Congresses, which had been a highly successful blend of scientific papers, posters, and continuing education development sessions. Over the years, SASVEPM conferences attracted high standard scientific outputs from across the region. In between Conferences, SASVEPM hosts training workshop and capacity building webinars and policy support platforms for issues of concern to the region such as African swine fever (ASF) and Foot-and mouth disease (FMD) prevention and control from global, Southern African Development Community (SADC) and southern African perspectives.
In 24 years, SASVEPM today has a multi-national membership of over 1,500 members, scattered across the Southern African region and the African continent. This includes veterinary and para veterinary professionals working in the state or private sector, industry, non-governmental and intergovernmental organisations, academia, and research.
SASVEPM successfully hosted the International Symposium for Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics (ISVEE) in Durban International Convention Centre in 2009. This was the second time the Symposium was hosted on the African continent and the first in southern Africa region.
SASVEPM will be bringing ISVEE 18 to Africa again and it will be hosted Cape Town in 2027.
From left to right : Professor Christopher Marufu, University Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science, and SASVEPM Vice-President, Dr. Mpho Maja, Director of Animal Health (DAH) of the Republic of South Africa, Dr Moetapele Letshwenyo, WOAH Sub-Regional Representative for Southern Africa, Dr Mohamed Sirdar, Chairperson of SASVEPM and WOAH Programme Officer at the WOAH Sub-Regional Representation for Southern Africa, and Dr Oonagh Pretorius, University of California Davis, and SASVEPM Secretary. Picture (c) SASVEPM, 2024.
The Southern African Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine Willie Ungerer Memorial Prize for Epidemiology is considered a unique award for epidemiological excellence. it was named upon the late Dr Willie Ungerer in 2013.
Dr Willie Ungerer served as SASVEPM’s first vice president and as second president. He also served as a member of the Executive Committee for 6 years. After his term on the Executive Committee, his support for SASVEPM did not end. He continued his support through his Deputy Directorship for Epidemiology at the South African National Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform by encouraging sponsorship of conferences and ensuring that officials of the Department are able to attend the SASVEPM Conferences. Dr Willie Ungerer has also bared the SASVEPM flag by being the Secretary of the prestigious International Symposium for Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics (ISVEE) organising committee.
