The Agriculture Portfolio Committee wants Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen to explain why he rejected the election of the new council for the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC) amid a threat of possible legal action.

This comes after Steenhuisen ordered the rerun of the elections instead of endorsing ahead of the end of the term of the previous council on July 31.

The SAVC had, in February, called for the nomination of candidates for the election of council members for the term of office starting in August 2025 until July 2028.

In July, CEO Mongezi Menye said the election results had been submitted to Steenhuisen, but the new council was not yet appointed by the minister.

In August, Steenhuisen announced that he had taken firm steps to address governance concerns arising from the election process after serious concerns were raised about the election’s transparency and procedural integrity.

He has since requested a full report from the department, including legal advice on the validity and procedural soundness of the SAVC election, and asked the director-general to initiate a process to restart the elections if the legal advice does not conclusively endorse the validity of the elections.

In response, SAVC Director of Legal Affairs Dinamarie Stoltz detailed the election process followed.

This included the disqualification of three ineligible candidates for the veterinary category that prompted a re-run for that category in April, as well as an administrative error that entailed two out of five emails from the election service provider incorrectly stating the closing date as May 23.

“There were no irregularities, vote rigging, or governance lapses during these elections,” Stoltz said.

She said that although council members took a unanimous resolution on July 30 that Steenhuisen must proceed with the appointment of the new council, it was not concluded when the council’s term ended on July 31.

“The SAVC has made repeated written requests to meet with the minister since his appointment and during the elections. Unfortunately, such a meeting has not yet taken place.”

Stoltz said a comprehensive statement setting out the SAVC’s position has been submitted to President Cyril Ramaphosa, National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza, the portfolio committee, Steenhuisen, and the director-general.

“We are committed to resolving this matter constructively before August 30, 2025, through Parliament. However, should this not be achieved, the SAVC will consider seeking the intervention of the High Court to ensure that its statutory mandate can be carried out in the public interest,” she stated.

On Friday, committee Chairperson Dina Pule expressed concern that the SAVC currently lacks a council.

She said the committee will invite Steenhuisen to brief it on his decision not to recognise the election results and for not appointing the successful candidates.

“We look forward to hearing from him about this development, particularly because there is a vacuum in the South African Veterinary Council, which should not have happened in the first place, as the process was started as early as February 2025 and was rerun in April 2025, while the report was sent to the minister in May 2025.

“The new council should be meeting this month. However, this is not happening because of the vacuum, and the term of the old council has expired.”

Pule also raised concern that the SAVC was the second entity without a permanent council or board in the department.

The term of office for the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) ended in May, and the interim council’s term will end in December.

“The minister will be called to explain the action he is taking to ensure the speedy establishment of a new council at the SAVC and to provide an update on the process for appointing a new board at the NAMC,” Pule added.

Steenhuisen’s spokesperson, Joylene van Wyk, said the department noted Pule’s concerns and welcomed the opportunity to appear before the committee.

Van Wyk also said Steenhuisen has consistently emphasised that professional councils such as the SAVC must be constituted in a manner that was both procedurally sound and legally defensible.

“The minister did not take the decision lightly to instruct that the veterinary portion of the elections be rerun. This decision followed reports of serious irregularities, including conflicting notices about closing dates, late disqualification of candidates, and questions of fairness in the vetting process.

“To have accepted those results without addressing the flaws would have opened the SAVC to legal challenge and undermined confidence in the council’s legitimacy from the outset,” she said.

Van Wyk also said Steenhuisen’s directive aimed to ensure that the incoming council was beyond reproach and carried out its mandate without distraction.

“The rerun process is being expedited, with clear timelines, and will be concluded within weeks.”

She added that Steenhuisen shared the concern expressed by Pule about vacancies in the statutory councils.

“He has already instructed the department to prioritise these appointments, balancing the need for thorough due diligence and compliance with legislation with the urgency of restoring governance stability.”

mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za

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