Two more candidates, Phozisa Dlokweni and Sindiso Mtshubungu joined the internship programme in Phytosanitation and Biosecurity at FABI on 1 October. Phozisa and Sindiso have been appointment within the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP) and the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Plant Health Biotechnology (CPHB). Their funding is provided via Forestry South Africa (FSA). 

Phozisa and Sindiso both have obtained degrees in forestry at the Nelson Mandela University. They will receive training in topics such as pest and disease surveillance and diagnostics as well as rearing of insects and their biological control agents. Their internship programme will be aligned with the needs from the TPCP and forestry sector, and in particular in field extension and biological control. Through this internship both interns will gain knowledge and skills, but also harness their skills to help the South African forestry sector to manage pests and pathogens.