Young entrepreneur developing excellence in animal health

Zimasa Sammy Qwayede (27) of Mount Ayliff in the Eastern Cape is assisting farmers in rural communities to take care of animal health through her company ANIMEDS Primary Animal Healthcare Pty Ltd.

She started her business in 2020 after obtaining her Diploma in Animal Health at Tsolo Agriculture and Rural Development Institute. 

Qwayede soon realised that there were insufficient animal healthcare services in many parts of the Eastern Cape and farmers were struggling to get medication for their animals. 

“I decided to find a way to bring services closer to farmers. I started saving money and I opened a shop to sell veterinary medicine and provided services that farmers could not get easily,” she explained. 

The multi-faceted company has various sections and one of them is a retail store in which farmers can walk-in to buy animal medication including dip, antibiotics, dewormers, vaccines, feed, crop production aides, parasite control,  supplementation and medication for clinical cases. It also offers advisory services for animal healthcare. 

Qwayede also travels to different villages to provide farmers with veterinary services that they need and offers animal healthcare advisory services.
 
“We also offer animal identification services including branding, tags, and tattoos. Furthermore, our services include synchronisation of artificial insemination, sheep shearing, wool sorting, and castrations,” she said.  

The company offers training for animal production in National Qualification Framework level 3 which is accredited by the Agricultural Sector Education Training Authority. 

“We currently have 20 students who are training at the company,  including students who are doing work-integrated learning in animal production.” 

Qwayede was equipped to start such a business by volunteering as an animal healthcare technician at the provincial Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform in 2018. In the same year, she was employed by a local pharmaceutical company as a sales agent. 

She also volunteered as an animal healthcare technician at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 

In 2021, the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) funded her company with branding material. The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) recently signed a contract to fund her company. 

She also received funding to buy animal identification equipment from the Alfred Nzo District Municipality (ANDM). The Eastern Cape Government also funded her business in 2023. ¥