A brief recent history of the indigenous Nkone cattle of Zimbabwe

Article contributed by George Hulme, March 2023.

The history of the people is the history of their cattle

The disturbances in Zululand and environs; the “Mfecane” that drove away many Zulu tribes from King Chaka’s Zululand, affected a large sector of the Nguni Zulu, known as the Ndebele, under their leader Mzilikazi Khumalo. Mzilikazi had an altercation with Chaka over the ownership of captured cattle. Chaka, King of the Zulus, defeated him in battle, forcing him to move to the west and into the Orange Free State with his people in 1823. Mzilikazi and his warriors took as many of their multi-coloured Nguni cattle with them as they could on this journey, attacking and disrupting other tribes over a large area. After some years he moved north into the Transvaal defeating and conquering the various tribes he encountered. Wherever they journeyed or settled, the Ndebele never ceased to raid cattle from other tribes, adding to their own cattle. Cattle rustling was a long established and traditional way of life for the Nguni tribes. In 1831 mounted Griqua raiders stole a large number of Ndebele cattle and after a long chase, the Ndebele attacked and soundly defeated the Griqua, reclaiming their cattle. After King Mzilikazi won this decisive battle against the Griqua nation, the Ndebele settled in Griqualand.

By about 1836 Afrikaner Voortrekkers began to arrive in Ndebele territory and in confrontations between the Afrikaners and Ndebele, the latter suffered heavy losses from the better armed and mounted Afrikaners, including the loss of thousands of their cattle. It was different in 1836 at the battle of Vegkop; the attacking Ndebele were defeated by the Voortrekkers led by Hendrik Potgieter but the Ndebele got away with over 5 000 head of the Afrikaner’s cattle and 50 000 sheep and goats. Further attacks and cattle raids in the years after 1836 by the Afrikaner Voortrekkers forced Mzilikazi to keep moving, and by early 1838 King Mzilikazi and 15 000 of his people and remaining cattle (including recaptured cattle) were forced to go northwards across the Limpopo River into modern Botswana and then north eastwards towards modern Zambia.

King Mzilikazi and his militant tribe of cattle owners eventually settled in Matabeleland near modern Bulawayo. From his new capitol Mzilikazi created the Mthwakazi Kingdom which incorporated the resident Lozi (Bakalanga) people in the area under his control.

Disturbances between the Matabele and Colonial forces escalated into war in 1893 and the British South Africa Company Forces invaded what was then known by them as Matabeleland. The invasion was opposed and fierce battles took place between the two forces while the better armed and equipped Europeans, although outnumbered, relentlessly pushed on to Bulawayo, the Ndebele capitol, despite severe opposition from the Ndebele army. King Lobengula and many of his tribesmen left Bulawayo, burning the town, before the colonists reached there and he made his way to the north across the Shangani River. After a battle just across the Shangani, where a BSA Company force led by Major Alan Wilson was totally wiped out by the Ndebele, King Lobengula continued northwards and disappeared, dying there from smallpox where he was buried by a few loyal followers at a secret place in that remote wilderness area near the Zambezi. The “Kings Cattle” of the typical Nkone type were moved and well-hidden in the vast heavily forested areas in the vicinity of the Gwaai River.

The British South Africa Company took over the administration of Matabeleland and distributed land and cattle to the Colonials. The Europeans of the BSA Company were not impartial to the beautiful Ndebele Nkone cattle and soon showed that they too, were on a par with the Ndebele, Mashona and the Afrikaners when it came to helping themselves to cattle belonging to others. The cattle were confiscated as “spoils of war” and “compensation”. Many of the cattle were apparently identified as “cattle of the King” and branded with the BSA Company brand, in an attempt to legitimise the takeover as “spoils of war”, although many cattle owned by individuals were also taken. This caused great bitterness as there was nothing worse for a Ndebele than the loss of his prized cattle. It is recorded that 300000 to 500000 head of Ndebele cattle were confiscated. Peace was made and some form of normality returned to the Ndebele nation but now with the Europeans in control.

In 1896 war (The First Chimurenga) broke out in Mashonaland when the Mashona people rose up against the colonial European settlers. This escalated and later that year the Ndebele too rose up against the European colonisers (The Umvukela). Rinderpest broke out in 1896, killing hundreds of thousands of cattle and wildlife south of the Zambezi River. This was coupled with a major locust invasion and the Europeans were accused of being responsible for the scourges, which helped to add to the unrest, particularly in Matabeleland.

The Rinderpest was followed by East Coast Fever in cattle imported from Australia, Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania a few years later in 1901-1903, to restock the region after the Rinderpest, also resulting in a massive die-off of cattle leaving less than about 50 000 head in the whole country. There could have been only very few Nkone cattle left in Matabeleland and it is a wonder and great credit to the breed and the Ndebele people that enough survived as a breeding nucleus to repopulate a large area of Matabeleland with their unique phenotype. Is it possible that the Nkone was, to some extent, resistant to both plagues?

Unfortunately, very few Commercial farmers of those times appreciated the tremendous value of the indigenous Nkone, or for that matter, any of the indigenous Sanga breeds which had become adapted to harsh conditions and built-up disease resistance over hundreds of years. For many years, the majority of farmers strove to “improve” the indigenous cattle by introducing European breeds to “grade them up”. This was a complete disaster, the exotic introductions and their progeny after the first generation, could not handle the harsh conditions or disease challenges and the majority died out, leaving a negative legacy of now diluted but originally very valuable pure indigenous genetics.

A few enlightened farmers selected and bred up their pure indigenous cattle breeds, one of these being the Nkone. The pure Nkone also thrived in more remote areas of Matabeleland where the Ndebele cattlemen selected for pure Nkone types and were reluctant to part with them. Rhodesia became a largely agriculturally based economy and cattle production played a major part. The Nkone, Mashona and Tuli indigenous breeds became more important as time went on and their excellent qualities and high productivity in the natural environment eventually became well known and appreciated.

By 1933 it became apparent to Government Animal Husbandry Officers that none of the imported cattle breeds introduced to “improve” local indigenous cattle had become adapted to the environment and were totally unsuitable. Some progressive thinking resulted in cattle breeding experiments being initiated at Matopos Research Station in 1938 to find the most suitable type of cattle and breeding systems for local conditions. In the 1940’s Government sponsored the establishment of Mashona, Tuli and Nkone herds and by 1950 eight breeding units were operating with a total of 1732 indigenous Sanga cattle. The Tuli were based at Tuli Breeding Station near Gwanda and the Nkone at Tsholotsho Breeding Station. In the meantime, private individuals, F.B. Willoughby, and E.A.B. Mc Leod, purchased Mashona cattle to form two foundation Mashona herds. Len Harvey was put in charge of the Tuli and John Brownlee of the Nkone.

Interest in indigenous Nguni cattle occurred in South Africa at this time and Government herds totaling 500 Nguni cattle were established in Tribal Areas of South Africa to maintain the purity and ensure the survival of the breed. In 1946 a small herd of Nkone was established at Tsholotsho Breeding Station, north-west of Bulawayo, under the direction and management of John Brownlee. This herd was disbanded in 1949 due to an outbreak of contagious abortion. A few non-reactors were retained and these formed the nucleus of a dual-purpose project with initial emphasis on milk production.

Similar objectives pertained to the establishment of a second Nkone herd at Msengezi Experiment Farm in Mashonaland in 1953. Here research was carried out mainly on milk production and resulted in comprehensive and valuable information collected on the Nkone milking ability. The selection for milk production then has had a positive impact on the milking ability of the Nkone female until today. Msengezi was closed and the herd moved to Tsholotsho in 1963.

Subsequent work on beef production in the Nkone breed was carried out at an expanded Tsholotsho Experiment Station. The original 800-hectare station was increased by another 5 200 hectares in 1963, eventually running a herd of 800 Nkone cattle. Initial efforts at acquiring phenotypical Nkone for stocking the new area were thwarted by local Ndebele breeders refusing to part with their better, highly prized Nkone breeding stock of which they were immensely proud. This resulted in a very mixed bunch of breeding females being initially acquired. The Tsholotsho Nkone herd became a closed herd from 1963. Strict selection and management practices under the continued direction of John Brownlee were implemented and comprehensive records kept with the emphasis always on desirable traits such as fertility, milk production and ease of calving, growth, mature size and adaptation to local conditions. A herd of Tonga (Govuvu) cattle was also once kept at Tsholotsho Breeding Station.