Ankole cattle have been making headlines in mainstream media of late, mainly due to the auction of the high-end livestock taking place on Saturday on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm on Saturday.

While Ramaphosa has come in for a barrage of criticism for how he handled a theft on the same farm in 2020, the auction is set to go ahead with Ramaphosa confirming on Friday that he would be one of the breeders to auction off Ankole.

In March, the top-selling cow at an Ankole auction reportedly sold for R2.1 million with Ramaphosa’s brother-in-law, business tycoon Patrice Motsepe, the buyer.

Ankole genetics expert, Kellyn Cotton explains what makes the breed so unique.

The main attraction is the breed’s unique horns.

Cotton says the breed is well adapted to South African conditions and can weather colder temperatures well. 

With regards to Saturday’s auction, she says she cannot anticipate the prices that the cattle will fetch, but that they have a lot with 50-inch horns for the first time. 

Jacaranda FM