admin
Herald Reporter
THE World Organisation for Animal Health — also known as Office International des Epizooties(OIE) — has sent a message of condolence to President Mnangagwa and the people of Zimbabwe following the death of former Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister Perrance Shiri.
Minister Shiri succumbed to Covid-19 on July 29 and was declared a national hero, leading to his burial on July 31 at the National Heroes Acre.
In a statement yesterday, OIE director general, Dr Monique Eloit said Minister Shiri was passionate about animal health and was working hard to improve animal health both locally and regionally.
“I have learned with great sadness of the untimely passing on of Honourable Perrance Shiri, the Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, of Zimbabwe.
“On my behalf and on behalf of staff of the World Organisation for Animal Health, I would like to send our sincere condolences to the Government of Zimbabwe, and most importantly to his family who must be enduring grief during these difficult moments,” she said.
Dr Eloit said he met Minister Shiri in Johannesburg, South Africa, during a SADC Ministers of Agriculture meeting in 2018, and later when he attended and addressed the General Assembly of the World Organisation for Animal Health in Paris, France, in May 2019.
Dr Eloit said Minister Shiri was the first Minister from Zimbabwe to attend the OIE General Assembly in recent times.
“He spoke passionately about the importance of livestock in Africa, including in his country Zimbabwe, and how animal health (OIE mandate) is important to ensure sustainability of the sector and safeguard livelihoods.
“He encouraged the OIE to continue working on animal health and assist needy countries to overcome transboundary animal diseases like foot and mouth disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza, and many others.
“He pledged his full support to the OIE, as a partner willing to promote animal health in the country and the region at large.
“Indeed, the OIE through its sub-regional Office for Southern Africa, based in Gaborone, Botswana, has enjoyed full support from the Government of Zimbabwe in combating diseases in the region,” she said.
Zimbabwe has been accessible to regional OIE staff who regularly visit the country to discuss animal health matters — the most recent being the joint Zimbabwe-OIE effort to combat rabies, which is a disease which affects dogs and it is transmissible to humans.
“Under this collaboration, the OIE donated rabies vaccines to be used to vaccinate dogs in the country, and thereby reduce mortalities due to the disease,” Dr Eloit said.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter