Shearer training for improved performance

Lungani Maqakalana has sheep shearing in his blood. Both his father and uncle were shearers, and from a young age he aspired to follow in their footsteps.

- Izak Hofmeyr

Originally from Sterkspruit in the Eastern Cape close to the Lesotho border, Maqakalana began shearing while still in Grade 10. "When we slaughtered sheep, I first had to shear them. That's how it started," he recalls. "My father and uncle were very good teachers." After finishing school in 2015, he decided to pursue shearing full time and joined a shearing team called Japtrap, where his uncle served as foreman. He started out as a wool worker and, in 2016, progressed to become a machine shearer.

From competitor to trainer

"From the beginning, I was eager to test my skills in competitions. My very first competition was in Philippolis in 2017, and I made the finals. From that day on, I fell in love with competing and entered every competition I could."

It was during this period that he caught the attention of the National Wool Growers' Association (NWGA). DG Snyman of DG Snyman Shearing Services approached him and encouraged him to further develop his skills. "He told me I was still young, but that I had the potential to become a great shearer," Maqakalana recalls.

In 2020, he was contacted by Izak Klopper, head of shearer training at the NWGA, inviting him to join the association's shearer training team.

"To be a good shearing instructor, you need to speak several languages so that you can communicate clearly with shearers and farmers," Maqakalana explains.

"Farmers must understand exactly what your role is, while shearers need clear, technical guidance on how to improve their technique." He speaks Xhosa, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English.