An eval uati on of past cattle di ppi ng practices in the former Ve nda area of Limpopo Provi nce, South Africa: Implications for sustai nable development

Abstract

An extensive compulsory cattle dipping programme was introduced in Venda from 1915 to counter rinderpest and East Coast Fever (ECF). This study approached the sustainability of cattle dipping from environmental, economic, social and governance perspectives against the backdrop of the country’s history and political ecology, focusing on the effects of dipping strategies and operations in Vhembe district of Limpopo Province (the former Venda) in response to ECF. Dipping infrastructre continues to be used in Venda after the eradication of ECF in 1954 and even to the present, albeit below capacity. Arsenic residues occur in soils around all sampled dip sites, especially within 20 m from dip tanks and where red clays and organic-rich loamy soils prevail. Ecologically, dipping practice has therefore not been sustainable, while economically, farmers perceive dipping to enhance livestock health, and they gain benefit from continued use of cattle in agriculture and transport. Being close to watercourses and villages, most dip tank sites pose community safety and health risks, with even fatalities occurring at untended and abandoned tank facilities. Yet the social sustainability benefits of dipping practice, such as the creation of forums where cattle owners and veterinarians interact, the resultant formation of cattle owners’ associations, and the occurrence of recreational opportunities on dip days are also evident. Government has been the main role player in providing dipping services, resulting in limited involvement of and cooperation between other role players; therefore the contribution of the Limpopo Draft Policy on Cattle Dipping (2011) to efficient dipping governance was evaluated. A Sustainable Community Cattle Dipping Model was consequently developed to address the shortcomings in governance, as well as ecological, economic and social issues of the sustainability of dipping practice. This thesis contributes to an understanding that cattle dipping in communal areas are spatial entities that reflect the dynamics of structure-agency. It underscores environmental injustices like arsenic contamination occurring around dip tanks, and the effects of inequitable distribution of dip sites on human health and safety. The economic benefits and limitations of existing dipping practice are also highlighted. It culminates in the development of a Sustainable Community Cattle Dipping Model to enhance the sustainability of dipping practice.