News24 | WATCH | Paw-sitive imprint: Justice Masilela's vet clinic keeps pets protected and herds healthy

• Dr Justice Masilela founded Asante Veterinary Consultants to expand veterinary care in under-served communities.
• He educates farmers on the value of livestock care, emphasising it as an investment in safety and sustainability.
• Masilela supports small-scale farmers through consultations, reducing disease and growing herds.

Dr Justice Masilela is the proud owner of Asante Veterinary Consultants in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg. When he is not in his clinic, he spends his time on nearby farms, assisting small-scale and emerging farmers with veterinary consultations. 

He said his work is driven by his passion to bridge the gap in veterinary services for township and rural communities. This is also why he opened the clinic.

"While doing my in-service training for the University of Pretoria, I noticed a scary trend. People love their animals, whether pets or livestock, yet they don't know how to properly care for them."

Masilela said people don't understand the value of the livestock in their kraals.

"I had to make people understand that when you pay for a vet consultation, you're not losing, but investing back into your asset," he said.

"By coming to vaccinate your dog against rabies, I am protecting not only your dog but also you, your kids, and your whole household."

During his community service, Masilela and his team visited townships, rural areas, and emerging farmers.

He quickly realised that the government was providing veterinary services in these areas, but lacked the capacity to meet the demand.

Communal kraals in space-scarce townships often resulted in diseases and viruses spreading quickly, affecting multiple farmers.

"Vaccinating your livestock is also making sure that the entire kraal is safe, and so is the community," said Masilela.

Throughout his career, he has watched farmers go from losing cattle annually to growing their herds.

He attributes his time in the field, as a herdsman in rural Buffelspruit in Mpumalanga, as the inspiration which fuels his education and formal experience.

"I would leave home in the morning and take the cows to graze. Often, I'd spend the whole day with them and bring them back later."

This allowed him to develop a strong bond with the animals and understand their behaviour.

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One day, his agriculture teacher returned from a career expo with pamphlets on veterinary science.

As he read through them, he realised this was the perfect path for him.

"I was never really exposed to veterinary services, but it was there. The government was running it, but we were never really exposed to it," he said.

Fortunately, his grandfather worked in the veterinary pharmaceutical industry.

"He would go around giving animals injections, vaccinations and deworming them. He knew a lot about making them feel better. I realised that looking after livestock was more than taking them to graze."

Masilela said he is working on expanding access to veterinary services in under-served areas.

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