World Agriculture Directory: the home of the world's largest agriculture database. Fastest way to find events, farms and agribusiness that suit your needs. Agriculture Event Directory

Cattlemen Hall of FameBeef cattle barons, cowboys, breeders and builders from around the world

Cattle Barons and Land Owners

Rudzani Sadiki: From Herdsman in Venda to National Beef Performance Award Winner

A Limpopo herdsman's son started with goats and broilers, then built a record-keeping Bonsmara herd on a leased farm.

Who is Rudzani Sadiki?

Rudzani Sadiki is a Limpopo farmer who grew up herding his family's cattle on communal pastures in Matsa village, Venda, and did not expect to become a farmer. He went on to build Welgewaagd near Dwaalboom and, in 2023, won the national Kaonafatso ya Dikgomo of the Year award. AgriOrbit's profile tells the story in detail.

This page covers his public professional record and the farming facts reported there.

Early life and first farming ventures

As a boy of ten he was given five calves by his family as motivation. Early difficulties included livestock theft, poor pasture management on communal land, and not being able to buy a bull of his own. He earned a degree in agricultural management from the University of South Africa, and attending farmers' days convinced him he could become a commercial producer.

He returned home in 2006 and began with Boer goats and broilers. With help from Nerpo he acquired 72 Boer goat ewes and two rams, though some animals were caught in game traps, and he later sold the goats. He reared 7,000 broilers near the village and then moved to Mokopane, where he held a contract to deliver 40,000 broilers a week to a broiler company's abattoir until 2016.

Building Welgewaagd near Dwaalboom

In 2016 he took a 30-year leasehold on Welgewaagd near Dwaalboom, with an option to buy. He started with almost nothing, recalling that he did not even have a pickup truck. The farm had 974 hectares of arable land and poor fencing; he now farms 1,285 hectares in total.

He built four chicken houses holding 2,000 broilers each and sold live birds to local rural families who lack refrigeration. He hired equipment to grow sunflowers, and in 2019 the Department of Agriculture approved his financial support application, which paid for his own equipment and a vehicle and for fencing against kudu. Neighbors Pieter Pienaar and Kurt Borowski helped him set up and calibrate his equipment. Today he cultivates almost 1,000 hectares of sunflowers.

The Bonsmara herd

His first cattle were 30 Nguni heifers and a bull, which he sold because they did not suit his beef production plans. He then bought 36 commercial Bonsmara cows from several leading breeders, and in 2020 a registered stud bull from Limpopo breeder Gavin Bristow. He plans to register the animals and start a stud.

The herd stands at about 86 animals as reported. Bull calves are sold at local auctions or to a feedlot. He also runs a Dorper sheep flock and the chicken business. Hendrik Kgasoane, a technician at the local state veterinary office, and Tshilidzi Mudau, who handles weighing, marking and measurements, support the cattle work.

Why Bonsmara cattle suit this kind of farm

The Bonsmara originated in South Africa as a scientific experiment by Professor Jan Bonsma. According to the Wikipedia article on the breed, it was created through many cross matings and back-crosses of five-eighths Afrikaner (a Sanga type), three-sixteenths Hereford and three-sixteenths Shorthorn, and is known for high quality beef and resistance to local diseases.

That combination of local hardiness and beef quality is the reason the breed is common with commercial producers in northern South Africa, and it helps explain why Sadiki sold his Nguni heifers and moved to Bonsmara cows for a beef-focused plan.

The Key to Sadiki's Success

The AgriOrbit profile shows a farmer who built income streams first and recorded everything once cattle arrived. The lessons below come from what the profile reports.

  • He funded cattle from other enterprises. Broilers and sunflowers paid for equipment and fencing before the herd grew.
  • He switched breeds when the fit was wrong. Nguni heifers were sold in favor of Bonsmara cows that suited his beef plan.
  • He bought registered genetics early. A registered stud bull in 2020 sets up a later stud.
  • He recorded performance carefully. He is recognized for accurate record-keeping and a scientific approach to managing the herd.
  • He used public support and neighbors. A 2019 departmental support approval and help from neighboring farmers set up his machinery.
  • The limits: starting without capital meant slow growth, and early livestock losses to theft and game traps cost him animals.

The 2023 Kaonafatso ya Dikgomo award

In 2023 Sadiki won the ARC National Kaonafatso ya Dikgomo (KyD) of the Year award, part of the ARC National Beef Performance Awards. It was the category's 22nd year and is sponsored by Stockfarm. Seven other producers were finalists from the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and North West.

The KyD scheme helps emerging beef producers use recording and improvement technologies to select for economically relevant traits and to improve herd productivity. Sadiki's win fits that purpose directly.

More cattle stories

For more on emerging producers and beef cattle, see the ranching section of farm.FM, or read a farm.FM story about Bonsmara cattle.

Timeline

  1. 2006Returns home to Limpopo and starts farming Boer goats and broilers
  2. 2016Takes a 30-year leasehold on Welgewaagd near Dwaalboom
  3. 2019Department approves financial support for equipment and fencing
  4. 2020Buys a registered Bonsmara stud bull from Gavin Bristow
  5. 2023Wins the ARC National Kaonafatso ya Dikgomo of the Year

Frequently asked questions

Who is Rudzani Sadiki?

Rudzani Sadiki is a Limpopo farmer from Matsa village in Venda who built Welgewaagd near Dwaalboom into a mixed operation with a Bonsmara herd. He won the 2023 National Kaonafatso ya Dikgomo of the Year.

What is the Kaonafatso ya Dikgomo award?

It is part of the ARC National Beef Performance Awards and rewards emerging producers who use recording and improvement tools. The KyD scheme helps farmers select for traits that affect productivity.

What does Rudzani Sadiki farm?

He farms 1,285 hectares at Welgewaagd, with almost 1,000 hectares of sunflowers, broiler houses, a Dorper flock and a Bonsmara herd of about 86 animals.

How did Rudzani Sadiki start farming?

He began with Boer goats and broilers after returning home in 2006, then took a 30-year lease on Welgewaagd in 2016 and added sunflowers and Bonsmara cattle.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

More from the hall