Conserving Zimbabwe’s indigenous goat heritage: The untapped potential of Matabele and Mashona breeds

By Joseph Sikosana

Zimbabwe's indigenous goat breeds, the Matabele and Mashona, represent centuries of natural selection and adaptation to our unique environment. Yet despite their remarkable resilience, disease resistance, and proven ability to thrive under harsh conditions, these hardy breeds remain largely undervalued in our small-stock industry. As commercial farmers increasingly turn to exotic breeds, we risk losing the genetic wealth embedded in our local goats, animals that have sustained rural communities for generations without expensive inputs or intensive management.

This article explores the distinctive characteristics that make our indigenous goats uniquely suited to Zimbabwe's climate and farming systems, examines the breed standards that define the Matabele and Mashona, and outlines practical strategies for conserving and improving these invaluable genetic resources. Understanding what makes these breeds exceptional is the first step toward unlocking their economic potential and ensuring a sustainable future for goat farming across our nation.

The Matabele goat: built for Zimbabwe

The Matabele goat, called Nguni or Ndebele in different regions, thrives in the drier parts of Zimbabwe, from Matabeleland North and South into sections of Midlands province. These medium to large animals, brought by Bantu tribes from the North, have spent centuries becoming perfectly suited to our climate.

At 65 centimetres tall at the withers, Matabele goats come in every shade you can imagine: white, black, brown, cream, and countless mixed patterns. Long, pendulous ears with turned-up tips give them their distinctive look, and many carry the traditional tassels or wattles under the neck that farmers associate with fertility.

The numbers tell the real story. At a mature weight of 45 kilograms, these goats produce twins 62% of the time and triplets 1.6% of the time. With a prolificacy rate of 1.7 and a weaning rate of 119%, they outperform many exotic breeds costing ten times as much. They kid year-round, with 60% of births happening during the dry season when feed is scarcest. Try getting that from a pampered exotic breed.

The Mashona goat: Compact and resilient

Mashona goats take a different approach. Small and compact at 50 centimetres at the withers, these hardy animals carry short ears held horizontally and, in males, a dramatic mane running the full length of the back. Both sexes grow scimitar-shaped horns, erect and heavy at the base, ranging from 2.5 to 20 centimetres.

Like Matabeles, Mashona goats often have the valued toggles or wattles. Their faces frequently show distinctive V-shaped markings between the eyes stretching to the nose, in combinations of black, white, and brown that correspond to body colouring. These patterns often indicate specific ecotypes adapted to particular environments.

Why standards matter

Breed standards exist for practical reasons, not aesthetics. Fertility and hardiness drive these requirements, and they translate directly into profit. Strong, straight legs allow goats to rear up and browse high branches when ground vegetation disappears. Well-developed udders with prominent teats mean kids that grow fast. Balanced, healthy testes in bucks ensure good breeding rates.

Serious defects should get culled immediately. Bowed legs and knock knees are highly heritable and compromise mobility. Split scrotums affect fertility. Animals failing these standards should leave the breeding pool to keep the genetics clean.

The problem

Uncontrolled crossbreeding is destroying these breeds. As Boer and Kalahari genes spread through indigenous flocks, centuries of local adaptation disappear. Without inspection systems and enforcement, farmers have no guidance on what to keep and what to cull. The genetic erosion happens quietly, one breeding season at a time.

What we have to work with

The infrastructure exists. Research institutions and universities have collected substantial data on both breeds. Large populations remain available for selection work. The Goat Breeders Association of Zimbabwe (GBAZ) provides organisational structure. The Zimbabwe Herd Book (ZHB) offers registration systems.

The missing piece is human capital. Without trained, registered inspectors who understand these breeds thoroughly, all that infrastructure sits idle. We need people who can walk through a herd, evaluate animals against proper standards, and guide breeding decisions.

Moving forward

Zimbabwe's small-stock industry can't fulfil its potential while ignoring animals proven in local conditions. Matabele and Mashona goats don't just survive where exotic breeds struggle, they produce consistently, breed reliably, and require minimal intervention. They kid when feed is scarce, browse at heights other goats can't reach, and maintain productivity without constant management.

The industry needs formal breeding programs, clear inspection protocols, and trained inspectors who know these animals inside out. These indigenous goats carry adaptive genetics that become more valuable as climate patterns shift and farming becomes less predictable.

Everything needed for success exists: the animals, the data, the organisational structure. What's been missing is commitment. Will Zimbabwe finally back its indigenous goat breeds with the same resources given to imported genetics?

Joseph Sikosana presented this material at the ZHB’s inaugural Small-stock School in Bulawayo in September, highlighting the urgent need for formal recognition and support systems for Zimbabwe's indigenous goat breeds.

* Joseph Sikosana joined the Department of Research and Specialist Services (DRSS) in 1985 as a Research Officer at Matopos Research Institute, and rose through the ranks, becoming Head of institute in 2003, up to 2009. Thereafter he became Director of Livestock of Livestock and Pastures Research. His research work was mainly based on indigenous goat production. Mr Sikosana retired from service in 2018 and since then, has been involved as a consultant in indigenous goat production

Matebele Goat Type