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President Cyril Ramaphosa bought a Boran bull for a record price at a recent Mpumalanga auction, African Farming reports.
The animal, named Jester, fetched R3.5 million – the highest price to date for a Boran bull, the Media24-owned publication confirmed. The bull will join Ramaphosa’s Ntaba Nyoni Boran stud near Badplaas.
The auction took place in Davel, Mpumalanga, over the weekend.
Boran cattle were originally bred in eastern Africa more than 1 000 years ago, and are known for being very well adapted to harsh conditions on the continent.
The greatest attribute of the Boran is its fertility, according to the Boran Cattle Breeders' Society of South Africa. "Even under harsh conditions, the Boran cow will continue to breed and rear calves and do this without punishing herself."
Boran cattle are also docile and easy to handle.
Ramaphosa is an avid cattle farmer, and is the biggest owner of Ankole cattle in South Africa. His interest in the breed of long-horned cattle started during a trip to Uganda.
His Ankole stud farm, Phala Phala in Limpopo, became infamous after two burglars stole several millions of rand worth of US dollars, allegedly stuffed under a sofa cushion.
This triggered a range of accusations against Ramaphosa, but last month the Public Protector cleared Ramaphosa of any wrongdoing.
At the Hurwitz Farming auction in Davel this weekend, another sale broke a record, African Farming reported. Twelve straws of semen from a bull called Picasso were sold for R88 000 each. Picasso died last year when he was struck by lightning.
