MEC Pieters officially handsover a shearing shed in Senqu Municipality
Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform MEC Nonkqubela Pieters today officially handed over a shearing shed in rural Dulciesnek in Sterkspruit.
The facility which has contributed hundreds of thousands to farmers in Sterkspruit and Hershel was funded by DRDAR to the tune of R1.1million. It includes a livestock handling facility and a dipping tank.
Speaking at the handover MEC Peters commended Senqu Local Municipality Farmers for producing the best quality of wool and undertook to look into their needs so as to enhance productivity in the area.
She encouraged farmers to use the programmes availed by government for livestock improvement.
“An amount of R8million has been set aside in the current financial year to fight sheep scab in order to improve the quality of wool and ensure that our farmers in the province produce the best quality”.
Despite not having a formal facility, the farmers in the area produced wool that earned them R342 000 in 2017, more than R429 000 in 2018, 201 000 in 2019, while the year of the Covid-19 pandemic earned them R446 000.
Xolisa Mtsila (33) one of the farmers who are part of the shearing shed said the facility was a “Dream come true. Thinking of where we come from, where we had to use a shed that was build with stones, we are grateful to the Department for this lifechanging facility.”
Mtsila said farmers used to operate without much knowledge until DRDAR extension officers offered them lessons on wool handling.
“We didn’t only receive training we also got assistance in livestock improvement e.g vaccination, Dohne Merino rams to improve our wool quality. The only thing we need from government is monitoring as we know when government is closer we get encouraged to work more and be successful in this farming business” concluded Mtsila.
The shearing shed currently has 47 members including 26 women, 10 youths and three people living with disabilities. It also shears a total number of 2309 sheep in the newly constructed shed.
In the previous shearing season 1734 sheep were shorn in March 2021 producing 30 wool bales with a revenue of R346 554,30 and 575 lambs were shorn in October 2020 producing 9 bales with a revenue of R100 012,07. A total of R446 566,37 was realised from wool production.
“This was our fore fathers’ dream to be wool farmers and we have achieved that, now we also want to leave legacy for our children as well and that is the reason we have pulled youth closer in this project. We also want this community to be known as the best wool producers in this region and that is where we are heading”, said Mzonjani Mgwalume (59) who is the chairperson of Dulciesnek shearing shed.
Meanwhile, Sakhele Soldeka a member of Gijima, an anti-livestock theft organisation said the only problem faced by farmers in the area was livestock theft.
He said during lockdown livestock thieves made off with hundreds of livestock, taking advantage of the lockdown regulations which prohibited movement at certain times.
He said: “We managed to go across to the mountains and came back with more than 330 cattle which were stolen. All of them had branding meaning they belonged to South Africans. We are really trying to participate in government call of vuk’uzenzele but there are people who practise vuk’uzothatha and they live among us.”