The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) notes with shock that the Minister of Agriculture, Mr John Steenhuisen, has terminated the membership of the prominent veterinarian, Dr Danie Odendaal, on the ministerial task team for state-controlled diseases.
In a letter to Odendaal, Steenhuisen states that he regrets to note that Odendaal has not yet signed the Declaration of Impartiality and Confidentiality.
He, therefore, terminates Odendaal’s membership with immediate effect.
For decades, Odendaal has been someone who spoke and acted on infectious diseases with authority. His expertise is beyond question, as evidenced by the fact that he has served on every ministerial task team on foot-and-mouth disease since 2016.
Terminating his membership deals a severe blow to taking effective action against the disease.
In addition, Odendaal recently expressed criticism of government’s wavering response to the disease. This creates the impression that his removal may be motivated more by his criticism than any genuine concern that he might breach confidentiality.
The Freedom Front Plus cannot see how this development can in any way contribute to combating the epidemic.
