Nobody wants underweight cows

Zethembe Mbanjwa holds out a basin of water for his ailing cow to drink from. Pictures: JACQUES NAUDE

Zethembe Mbanjwa holds out a basin of water for his ailing cow to drink from. Pictures: JACQUES NAUDE

Published Feb 7, 2016

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A South Coast man says he watched in disbelief as his livestock began to die from thirst.

Emerging black farmer Zethembe Mbanjwa, 32, from Riverview in Highflats, near Ixopo, had more than 90 head of cattle, but within two weeks has lost 17.

He is among hundreds of small farmers across KwaZulu-Natal who are losing animals to the drought.

Mbanjwa said after the dry winter season, farmers had hoped that summer would bring enough rain for crops and for the streams to run, but his hopes had been dashed when the summer days went by without a single drop.

He said the normally green hills turned brown while streams dried up.

“Seeing the livestock dying was a terrible blow. I ran out of ideas. Each day I prayed not to get devastating news from my herdsmen. I watched in horror when a cow died in front of me. She was weak and had been struggling to lift her body from the mud after drinking water from the river,” Mbanjwa said.

The financial loss has been huge. He was also forced to sell five cows to buy food supplements for the remaining cattle, and to pay for a vet.

He lost hope when the state vet said cattle died when they did not secrete enough saliva to digest food – because of thirst.

When the Sunday Tribune visited Mbanjwa on his farm, he was working with a sick cow, giving her water in her own container in a bid to save her.

“This cow was dying, I did everything I could to help her survive. I had to follow the vet’s advice and buy the necessary health boosters to get her back on her feet. I did not want to lose her,” he said.

Mbanjwa makes a living selling his livestock at a monthly auction held in a nearby town. He has been unable to go to the auction for several months because his cattle are too thin.

His 75 remaining animals are still at risk as the little grazing that has emerged after a recent rainfall is fast being eaten.

He said after a nearby stream dried up, he and the other farmers had no choice but to walk their livestock to uMzimkhulu River, more than 4kms away.

His father-in-law, Joseph Dlamini, 62, who has farmed cattle all his life, said he was filling containers for his herd to drink from in the shade.

“This drought is very severe in this district and our livestock is at great risk. Drought mitigation strategies are required to save the livestock. We need to have boreholes and dams to sustain agriculture,” Dlamini said.

Mbanjwa said he had considered looking for work in the city after weather experts claimed that rain could only be expected next month. However, the recent showers had instilled some hope.

He claimed that farming cattle was his only livelihood since he gave up his office job at uBuhlebezwe (Ixopo) Municipality.

With help from white farmers, Mbanjwa understands that, after the rains, he will have to have his livestock vaccinated to prevent any infections that may take hold because of the severe stress the animals have experienced.

“When I run out of ideas, I have the white farmers to turn to in the area who are always willing to help.

“Even for the auction dates, they send messages to inform us about the auction.”

“They are very helpful with their advanced methods of farming. Selling at least two cows on each auction gives me enough money to feed my family and pay two herdsmen before investing the rest on empowering myself with more ideas,” Mbanjwa said.

“But nobody wants to buy an undernourished cow.”

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Sunday Tribune

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