Vegans in South Africa (VISA)

V.I.S.A.
Box 36242
Glosderry
7702 South Africa
Tel: +27 21 7979 026 (a/h)
gail.joslin@oup.co.za

Background
V.I.S.A. was founded in 1991 by Gail Joslin. The organisation aims to provide information about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle and to promote awareness about the cruel practices involved in many industries which use animals. Click here to see the Mission Statement.

What is Veganism?
Veganism is a way of life that tries to exclude as far as possible all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. In dietary terms, it refers to the practice of dispensing with all animal produce - including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, animal milks, honey and their derivatives. Examples of clothing which involve cruelty to animals are: wool, angora, silk, leather and furs.

Events and Campaigns

Anti-McDonalds Campaign McDonalds has recently entered the South African Market, despite its growing notoriety in the rest of the world. Here's what you can do to help protest against this exploitative industry.

  1. Boycott McDonalds products and outlets
  2. Spread the word by distributing leaflets, which are available from V.I.S.A.
  3. Subscribe to info@mcspotlight.org
  4. See the McSpotlight webpage
  5. Join the International Protest against McDonalds on Worldwide Anti-McDonalds Free Speech Day (16 October).

Information available
We sell a Vegan Starter Kit which contains over 60 delicious vegan recipes, menu plans, gives advice on vegan substitutes for animal products, South African suppliers, up-to-date medical and nutritional information written by experts in their field, recommended reading lists, and cartoons.

V.I.S.A. also sells a detailed and useful guide for caterers who have been asked to cater for vegans, but don't know where or how to go about doing this. It lists alternatives to animal products, and gives numerous ideas and recipes for breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners. Details of suppliers of vegan products are continually updated.

Additional Services
Groups are welcome to contact V.I.S.A. for a speaker on the benefits of the vegan way of life.

We have many queries from local and overseas tourists wanting vegan B&B, self catering accommodation, restaurants and hotels. Information from interested concerns is welcomed.

Videos for Hire
The following four videos are available for hire from V.I.S.A. Hiring conditions include:

  • Refundable deposit of R30
  • R10 hiring fee
  • 24-hour loan period
  • Collect and return basis.

Diet for a New America: Your Health, Your Planet explains how your food choices affect your health, happiness and the future of the earth. Hosted by John Robbins, Pulitzer Prize nominee, it is based on his book, "Diet for a New America". The video is 60 minutes long and is closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

Food for Protest is produced by the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). It provides and expose of the methods used in factory farming. The running time is 60 minutes.

Nutrition for Optimum Health is an informative and entertaining slide-illustrated lecture before a live audience at London's Homoeopathic Hospital, presented by Michael Klaper, M.D. The lecture makes clear the connection between food choices and many common, serious illnesses. Dr Klaper is the Director of the Institute of Nutrition, Education and Research and is the author of two books, "Vegan Nutrition: Pure and Simple" and "Pregnancy, Children and the Vegan Diet".

Truth or Dairy explains the who, what, where, when, how and why of veganism. It is presented by poet Benjamin Zephaniah and is an upbeat, informal description of the thinking behind veganism as well as the helath and environmental benefits. It features famous vegans including the B52s, Consolidated, Uri Geller, Casey Kasem, k.d. lang, River Phoenix, Martin Shaw, Moby, Heather Smith and Spice Williams.

Affiliations
Vegans in South Africa is affiliated to:

and supports and promotes the work of