Indigenous Veld Goats: Cornerstone Of The Goat Industry

“You have to know where you are from before you can know who you are and where you are going.” The well-known novelist, Johan Kruger, used this expression in his book Die Vloek, but it also aptly describes the view of a group of indigenous veld goat breeders.

- Koos du Pisanie

Lourens Erasmus, president of the Indigenous Veld Goat Breeders’ Society, says there are between 45 and 50 breeders who share this sentiment. Their mission is to re-establish these goats, which form the cornerstone of the goat industry in South Africa, in an economically sustainable way.

The following ecotypes are involved with this group of breeders:

• The Northern Cape Speckled goat, which originated in the former Cape Province but later accompanied the Dorsland trekkers to Namibia.
• The Xhosa Lob Ear, found in the Eastern Cape, from which the Boer goat was bred.
• The Mbuzi goat, well-known among the Zulu population, which originated in the northern parts of the country and KwaZulu-Natal.
• The Kunene goat, which comes from the Kaokoveld in Namibia. There are only a few surviving animals left of this breed, but the breeders have decided to include them in the landrace with the aim of reviving this endangered breed.

Commercial value

Lourens says while it is important for them to preserve this part of agricultural history, the goats also have excellent commercial value for breeders. They are adaptable and can take care of themselves with minimal input costs. They can also be kept in drought-stricken areas with very little effort.

Deon Vlok, a goat breeder from the Calvinia area, is part of the group of breeders farming indigenous veld goats. He has farmed approximately 34 different breeds and, given the drought conditions he has been battling for several years, has observed that the hardy indigenous breeds are perfectly capable of coping in adverse conditions.

Many excellent traits