When threats such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and rising feed costs put livestock farmers under pressure, could choosing the right breed make farming easier?
Nguni cattle are renowned for their hardiness, ability to cope with Mzansi’s harsh conditions and efficient use of available grazing. But hardiness is only part of the story.
For farmers considering the breed, the question is whether Nguni can reduce input costs, withstand tough environments and still make financial sense.
A family tradition: Raising a hardy breed
As a fourth-generation farmer and animal health adviser and mentor at Afrivet, Siyabonga Mbatha understands Nguni cattle from both a cultural and clinical perspective.
His family kept about 20 Nguni, passed down through generations when livestock served cultural needs rather than generating income.
“The biggest advantage about farming with indigenous cattle is that they are very strong,” he says, pointing to their tick resistance, endurance in harsh conditions and ability to survive on poor grazing.
He also values their fertility, mothering ability and potential for crossbreeding.
However, hardiness does not replace biosecurity. Mbatha quarantines new stock for up to 21 days, keeps them separate from the main herd and stresses buying from reputable breeders and maintaining accurate health records.
“It is very important to work with our state vets,” he says, particularly during disease outbreaks.
While Ngunis offer resilience, Mbatha acknowledges that lower weaning and carcass weights can be a commercial challenge, prompting some farmers to crossbreed them with larger breeds to improve growth.
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Built to look after itself
For Phumelele Kwayimani, founder of Ndebe Ngunis in Peddie, Eastern Cape, the connection to the breed began with his late grandmother, Mankala, who kept Ngunis at her homestead in Alice.
Kwayimani is a former award-winning chairperson of the East Cape Nguni Club, the country’s second-oldest, and led the club from 2021 to 2024. “Ngunis are resilient, adapted, very hardy, live a long productive life, and are easy to manage,” he says.
Kwayimani bought his first Ngunis around 2015 while working in Cape Town, with his elderly father helping to manage them.
He explains that their ability to thrive in different environments, utilise low-quality forage and require less costly management continues to drive his passion.
“We refer to Ngunis as the breed that looks after itself, a no-nonsense, carefree breed.”
Phumelele Kwayimani
Despite these advantages, Kwayimani notes that access to formal commercial feedlots and abattoirs remains difficult. While pure Ngunis face price penalties on formal grading scales due to their smaller frames and early fat deposition, buyer bias against their multi-coloured hides also persists in some commercial rings.
“Farming with Ngunis could be much more financially worthwhile if the breed was not discriminated against by the formal markets.”
To circumvent these market barriers, Kwayimani has built a strong alternative customer base among rural buyers purchasing cattle for lobola, cultural ceremonies and starting herds.
Resilient, but not disease-proof
According to Masixole Maswana, a production scientist at Tutimomo Agricultural Enterprise, Nguni cattle are among South Africa’s hardiest breeds, coping well with drought, heat stress and heavy tick burdens.
He says their resilience helps them tolerate various parasites and tick-borne diseases, but this natural resistance should not be confused with total immunity against major viral threats.
“They can withstand numerous parasites, including those associated with parasitic diseases,” he explains.
Maswana says research has identified candidate genes linked to the breed’s hardiness, with several genes contributing to tick tolerance and helping breeders select suitable animals.
However, he emphasises that resilience lowers day-to-day management costs rather than making the breed completely immune to widespread diseases.
“They can be vulnerable to foot-and-mouth disease and may face similar difficulties as other breeds if infected.”
Masixole Maswana
For commercial operations, Maswana says their adaptability can help reduce spending on supplementary feed, dipping and shelter, particularly in drought-prone areas. Changing weather patterns, prolonged drought and shifting rainfall can increase these costs, making hardy breeds an attractive option.
Accessible breed for emerging farmers
Thabile Nkunjana, a senior agricultural economist at the NAMC, agrees that the Nguni’s local adaptability can help keep production costs down.
“By lowering the need for dipping, extra feed and veterinary care, the Nguni breed’s exceptional local adaptability directly lowers input costs,” he says.
High fertility supports herd growth, while distinctive hides can provide another revenue stream. Nkunjana sees the breed as an accessible option for young and aspiring farmers with limited budgets, although pure stud animals can still be expensive.
He suggests government-backed loan schemes supplying breeding herds could help bridge this gap.
“Farmers should reasonably anticipate great biological efficiency and low input costs from Nguni cattle, which translates to good profit per hectare rather than per individual animal.”
Thabile Nkunjana
Nkunjana notes that the main commercial drawback remains the breed’s smaller frame and early fat deposition, which affect carcass grading and returns compared with heavier breeds such as Angus, Hereford and Brahman.
Crossbreeding offers one way to address this. Nkunjana says crossing Nguni cows with Angus bulls can retain environmental hardiness while improving growth.
“Angus helps the naturally small-sized Nguni gain growth, resulting in a higher kilogram per carcass,” he adds.
Ultimately, Nkunjana believes there is room for a premium market for pure Nguni beef, arguing that recognising its distinctive qualities could improve the breed’s commercial prospects.
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