Sheep farmer Xolisa Bomela’s two prized sheep won him top awards at the annual flock competition held in Mgcwe Village, outside Ngqamakwe on May 12.
Bomela, the secretary of the Eastern Cape Communal Woolgrowers Association (ECCWGA), won first spots in the merino and Dohne merino categories.
The competition is the brainchild of the provincial Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR), which donates livestock to local farmers, as part of supporting communities.
Speaking during the event, Mnquma Local Municipality Mayor, Councillor Tunyiswa Manxila-Nkamisa, said that the event was in line with the municipality’s vision and mission, which is to create self-sustainable communities.
Manxila-Nkamisa also officially handed over a R1.3 million fully equipped shearing shed to Siyazama Gqoloma, a sheep breeding cooperative, as part of festivities for the day.
“A new abattoir will soon open here in Mnquma, and this competition is preparing farmers to grow the fattest sheep which can be sold at the abattoir.
“Government is grooming farmers who don’t just keep livestock for display and honour, but we want people who are market-oriented so that they can get returns on their investment.
“We have a lot of butcheries and supermarkets that they can supply around the municipality.
“We congratulate all the winners,” she said.
Eastern Cape DRDAR director for livestock, Mfundo Macanda, said farmers were competing in five categories: Dohne merino (meat and wool producers), merino (wool producers), two-tooth ewes and four-tooth ewes and lambs, and they were judged by independent judges who are animal scientists.
Winners received a ram, feed, and medication.
