Return of the Ngunis

The KwaZulu-Natal government is spending R15-million in a bold programme to re-introduce and preserve the indigenous Nguni cattle to poor communities.

The long-term vision of the programme is to see these small scale farmers turning to major role players in the breeding industry.

Last week, just outside Pietermaritzburg the community of Willowfountein stood in awe as a herd of 55 Nguni cattle were handed over to the local livestock association. Each one had cost R6 000.

The Nguni cattle were last available in KwaZulu-Natal less than a century ago.

The breeders of Nguni cattle are now concentrated in Mpumalanga province where the government has spent a lot of money buying the initial stock, which is expected to multiply in the next few years. According to the department of agriculture and environmental Affairs (DAE) who are overseeing the programme, Pietermaritzburg has three beneficiaries.

These are the communities of Inadi, Mpumuza and Willowfountein.

Altogether 750 cattle have been bought to kick-start the programme. In these communities, people have been trained in fencing and financial management.

In return the department requires each community who has benefited from the programme to return a number of calves depending on the number of cattle they were given.

To highlight the importance with which the programme is viewed, a high-powered delegation including Zulu king Goodwill Zwelithini descended on Willowfountein last week to launch the programme.

He was accompanied by MEC's Dr Zweli Mkhize and Prof Gabriel Ndabandaba.

Several amakhosi from different parts of the province were also in attendance.

For government, it has not been an easy task getting the programme off the ground because there is a high demand for Nguni cattle.

As a result bulls and cows are bought regularly at auctions for commercial purposes.

What makes them suitable for the community-based breeding programmes are their widely recognised attributes.

The cattle are very fertile, they have a resistance to internal and external parasites, resistance to tick-borne diseases, potential as a dam line, hybrid vigour and longevity.

For the politicians however, there are also cultural reasons for the breed's reintroducton to communities.

The Nguni cattle are also used for cultural ceremonies, like weddings and to link the family with their ancestors.

The hides of the Nguni cattle are used to make traditional attire (amabheshu), shields and traditional mats.