Nguni cattle: carrying on a legacy

Nguni cattle are an established breed in the local cattle farming industry, known for their unique hides and excellent adaptation to South African conditions. Jennifer Speedy, a fourthgeneration Nguni farmer, spoke to Henning Naudé about the benefits of choosing such a well-performing breed and her experience taking the reins from her father.

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Jennifer Speedy’s family farm, Zoetvlei, located in the Vryburg area of North West, was purchased by her great-grandfather.

It has been home to various cattle breeds for over 100 years, as it was passed down from generation to generation. Speedy first became involved in the farm in 1994 after finishing her schooling, and ran Zoetvlei along with her father, Sandy, until his passing in 2023.

CHOOSING NGUNIS

Speedy’s family experimented with many different cattle breeds before settling on Ngunis. Her grandfather originally had a dairy with Friesland and Jerseys, then switched to breeding a pedigree herd of Aberdeen Angus.

Speedy’s father subsequently sold the pedigree herd due to the genetic progressions made by breeders, causing difficulties with calving and calf protection.

Sandy started experimenting with various bulls, testing crossbreeding combinations that were suitable for the farm’s conditions while still being profitable. When Speedy arrived at the farm, her father introduced Sussex bulls, but still found that the cows were having major calving complications.

“When I arrived, we were losing a lot of calves. I told my father that working on the farm may not be for me if we constantly have to pull calves and worry about jackals,” she says.

After consulting fellow farmers and breeders, Speedy and her father purchased their first Nguni bulls in 2001. They also brought in Tuli bulls in order to split the herd, utilising a summer and winter calving season so the Ngunis can calve in summer, and the Tulis in winter.