Born and raised to breed cattle

Cattle has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. His grandfather and father were both cattle farmers on communal land in the vicinity of Kuruman in the Northern Cape. This is also where Christopher Melamu kept his first cattle before acquiring his own farm near Vryburg. Today he is one of the most prosperous emerging Bonsmara breeders in the region.

- Andries Gouws

He says he still has a long way to go in order to reach his breeding objectives. But, with hard work and the assistance of a highly competent mentor, as well as the help of nature and genetics, he can certainly keep up the excellent progress he has made thus far.

For the love of cattle

Christopher grew up in Mothibistad near Kuruman. He often had to help his father and grandfather manage their cattle, which solidified his love for these animals at a young age. After completing school, Christopher went on to study mining engineering at the then Technikon Witwatersrand. When he started his first job, he used some of his earnings to buy cattle that he kept in the communal area.

Today he is the operations manager at Assmang’s Black Rock manganese mine northwest of Kuruman. Although he would like to become a full-time farmer, this endeavour will require some finetuning because giving up a good salary in exchange for one’s own business, requires some tough choices and the right timing.

In 2007 Christopher acquired the farm Nilshe near Vryburg under the Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy – initially on a leasehold basis, with the option to buy the land after two years. Conditions have since changed and he now has a 30-year lease with the option to purchase still in place. Because he intends to buy the land, Christopher is also negotiating to buy land in the vicinity of Reivilo as the lease agreement with the government is quite favourable.

Harnessing Bonsmara power