Page 42 - VHSA - Onderstepoort 100 Years - Part 1

ONDERSTEPOORT 100
specially created for the quality control of products used in the agricultural industry. Onderstepoort’s research sections, such as the Virology and Poultry Sections, served as expert reference bodies to ensure that imported vaccines met the required standards.
As Director, Weiss, who thoroughly enjoyed the planning of buildings, was also responsible for the technical aspects of the planning of a high security foot and mouth disease (FMD) laboratory for Onderstepoort. As early as 1962 he went on an extensive overseas tour to visit all the important FMD laboratories in countries such as England (Pirbright), USA (Plum Island), Germany, France, the Netherlands and Italy. Onderstepoort’s FMD Laboratory was eventually erected on the Institute’s farm Kaalplaas and opened by Minister Hendrik Schoeman in the beginning of 1980, A.
Pini being appointed as the first head (first
as assistant director and subsequently as
deputy director) of this sub-directorate of
the Institute (see also Part 3: Virology).
The Director of the Institute was made responsible for implementation of the government decision to transfer the Onderstepoort Faculty in its entirety to the University of Pretoria in 1973. The decision that the existing links between the Department of Agriculture and its agricultural faculties – of which the Onder- stepoort Faculty was one – should be severed, applied country-wide to all the universities concerned. Although there was considerable doubt in the minds of many people, such as Jansen, Weiss was of the
42 opinion that it was a logical development.
Moreover, it was not a big logistical prob-
lem because in practice there were already
two campuses. Consequently land, buildings and equipment could easily be transferred from the Department of Agriculture (i.e. the Institute) to the Faculty.
Those who opposed this change argued that it would cause a duplication of certain disciplines such as toxicology, infectious diseases, parasitology and pathology, which would probably lead to the dilution of manpower. Furthermore, the tremendous advantages of having as teachers the expert scientists from the Institute, who were continually dealing with field problems, would also largely be lost.
Weiss was not opposed to the erection of regional laboratories in many parts of the country by the Directorate of Veterinary Services, a development which was conceptua- lised by Lambrechts, who retired from Veterinary Services in 1972. However, he felt strongly that they should limit their activities to routine diagnostic work and that the specialized diagnostics and research, which were mandates of the
Institute, should be conducted at Onderstepoort.
The establishment of a central diagnostic laboratory under the direction of Veterinary Services in existing buildings on the Onderstepoort campus occurred in the late 1960s. It was to serve as a reference laboratory for the ± 16 regional laboratories established elsewhere. Weiss was opposed to the concept expressed by some that the regional laboratories should be managed by Onderstepoort because many of them were geographically so remote whereas Veterinary Services was a regionalized organisation and therefore had the required supervising command structures in place all over the
country.
Weiss was the first director at Onderstepoort to introduce
meetings of the management hierarchy at Onderstepoort. In later years these were held regularly at the top management level – the director, two deputy directors (the head of the FMD Laboratory was prevented to attend by quarantine regulations) and the senior administrative officer being involved – and less regularly at the general management level, which included the assistant directors (of which there were 6 to 8) and the Chief
Vaccine Producer.
Contact with foreign countries was
naturally very limited during the time that Weiss and most of his immediate successors were in charge of the Institute on account of the international political isolation of South Africa. Nevertheless, the top management of the Department of Agricultural Development (including Weiss), lead by its Secretary, W. Verbeek, undertook an agricultural mission to several foreign countries in 1972, to study all aspects of the management of agricultural
research and development, including agricultural extension. Weiss was also invited to Malawi in 1970 to plan a diagnostic laboratory and to advise on its erection. He served on SARCCUS (Southern African Regional Commission for the Conservation and Utilization of the Soil) and attended some of its meetings. He also attended one of the OIE meetings in Paris, but generally adopted a policy of having his staff members attend the meetings of the small number of specialist international organizations in which South African scientific institutions still managed to be involved despite the many political obstacles. In South Africa he served on several ‘extramural’ technical bodies, including a ministerial committee appointed for the evaluation of the protocols of the polio vaccine manufactured by the South African Institute for Poliomyetitis Research. He retired in 1980 but was re- employed by the Institute for a short period to continue with
his research on bluetongue.
“The establishment of a central diagnostic laboratory under the direction of Veterinary Services in existing buildings on the Onder- stepoort campus occurred in the late 1960s. It was to serve as a reference laboratory for the ± 16 regional laboratories established elsewhere.”
PART 1
Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute: General History
1908-2008
Years