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Beef Cattle Breeds

Afrikaner Cattle: The Red Sanga Breed That Pulled the Great Trek Wagons

Descended from the herds of the Khoikhoi, the deep red Afrikaner was once South Africa's most numerous cattle breed.

Who bred the first Afrikaner cattle?

The Afrikaner, also called the Africander, is a South African Sanga-group breed descended from the cattle of the Khoikhoi people. Those cattle were already in the region when the Dutch East India Company founded the Cape Colony in 1652, and Portuguese sailors' accounts suggest the Khoikhoi kept similar cattle from at least the 15th century.

Genetics place the breed within a family. It shares ancestry with the Nguni and the Drakensberger and may have split from them roughly 655 to 960 years ago. The Wikipedia article on Afrikaner cattle summarizes the research.

Draught oxen of the Great Trek

Historically the Khoikhoi used these animals for meat and milk. Later they became key draught oxen, including the oxen that pulled the wagons of the Voortrekkers on the Great Trek. That working role put the breed at the center of the settler movement into the South African interior.

War, rinderpest and the stud book

During the Second Boer War, from 1899 to 1902, wartime destruction and a rinderpest outbreak nearly wiped out the breed. A stud book was started in 1912. Because numbers were so low, inbreeding was high at that point.

The Afrikaner Cattle Breeders Society of South Africa promotes and records the breed, and its description on a South African directory site gives a starting point for contact details. The breed went on to be the most numerous cattle in South Africa until the 1970s.

What Made It Work

The Afrikaner endured because it matched the African climate and the work people needed done, and because it later became a building block for other breeds.

The record shows the following strengths and limits.

  • Heat and tick tolerance: the breed handles hot conditions and ticks well, which suits its homeland and later helped it in other warm regions.
  • Docility: Afrikaners are easy to handle, a useful trait for draught use and for ranch work.
  • Draught power: the breed's role pulling wagons made it economically vital long before beef became the focus.
  • Dam line value: today Afrikaners are raised for beef and are often used as a dam line in crossbreeding.
  • Crossbred offspring: the Bonsmara, developed in the 1960s by crossing Afrikaners with Herefords and Shorthorns, built on the breed's traits.
  • Limits: numbers fell from the 1970s because of inbreeding, lower fertility, crossbreeding and the introduction of the Brahman.

Size, horns and color

Afrikaners are usually deep red, with a small hump and long lateral horns, though a polled variant also exists. Bulls average 745 to 955 kg and can exceed 1,100 kg. Cows average 525 to 640 kg and can exceed 800 kg. Withers height averages about 143 cm for bulls and 115 cm for cows.

Afrikaner cattle abroad

Export of Afrikaners to the United States was proposed in 1923, and a herd was shipped to the Gulf Coast in 1932. In 1929 the South African breed society gave a bull and two cows to King George V. In 1953 five cattle were sent from Texas and Florida to CSIRO in Belmont, Australia, to test their suitability for the Australian climate.

A 1930s Afrikaner and Angus cross attempted in Louisiana was unsuccessful, while the modern Afrigus is a 50-50 cross with Aberdeen Angus. The Farmer's Weekly article on Afrikaner origins discusses the breed's future role in South African beef.

Learn more about tropical cattle

Heat-adapted breeds shaped beef production in the American Gulf Coast, Australia and southern Africa. The ranching section of farm.FM covers beef history across continents, and there is a farm.FM story about Africander cattle for readers who want a lighter read.

Timeline

  1. 15th centuryPortuguese accounts suggest Khoikhoi kept similar cattle
  2. 1652Dutch East India Company founds the Cape Colony
  3. 1899-1902Second Boer War and rinderpest nearly wipe out the breed
  4. 1912Stud book started
  5. 1929Bull and two cows given to King George V
  6. 1932Herd shipped to US Gulf Coast
  7. 1953Five cattle sent to CSIRO, Australia
  8. 1960sBonsmara developed from Afrikaner crosses
  9. 1970sNumbers decline after peak

Frequently asked questions

Where does the Afrikaner breed come from?

It is a South African Sanga breed descended from the cattle of the Khoikhoi people, who kept them before the Dutch founded the Cape Colony in 1652.

What is the Bonsmara?

The Bonsmara was developed in the 1960s by crossing Afrikaners with Herefords and Shorthorns. It builds on the Afrikaner's heat and tick tolerance.

Why did Afrikaner numbers fall?

The breed was the most numerous in South Africa until the 1970s. Numbers then fell due to inbreeding, lower fertility, crossbreeding and the introduction of the Brahman.

Are Afrikaner cattle good for beef?

Yes. They are raised for beef and often used as a dam line in crossbreeding. They tolerate heat and ticks well and are easy to handle.

Sources and further reading

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

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