As robbery allegations rage, Ramaphosa’s Ankole will go on auction at Phala Phala

Ankole cattle belonging to President Cyril Ramaphosa will be auctioned off at the Phala Phala farm in Limpopo next weekend. 

The Ankole cattle from his Ntaba Nyoni farm will be on offer at the Phala Phala farm, where an alleged multimillion-dollar robbery took place in February 2020 

According to the Facebook page of the Ankole Cattle Breeders’ Society of SA, the second auction will take place on Saturday, offering buyers two breeding bulls, mature cows with horns measuring about 1m, embryos and “semen straws from top bulls”, among other things. 

More than 200 lots will also be on offer, with Ankole from at least 15 guest sellers. 

“On Saturday June 18 is the second National Ankole Auction at Phala Phala, Limpopo, and it is one of the best Ankole offerings yet. Some of the top Ankole in the industry will be on offer as well as their offspring and genetics. The standard from all sellers is high,” said the website. 

Ramaphosa is one of the biggest Ankole farmer in the country and his interest in the breed of long-horned cattle goes back almost two decades. 

At his last auction, which took place in March, his Ankole cattle sold for millions of rand.

Ramaphosa’s Ntaba Nyoni farm put 72 cows up for auction, including 16 prized Ankole cows. 

His brother-in-law, Patrice Motsepe, parted ways with R4.7m for four Ankole female cows. The most expensive cow cost him R2.1m.

Over the past six years, demand for Ankole cattle in SA has risen steadily and breeders have been paying high prices for top bulls and cows.

They are particularly popular among game breeders, who buy them as a tourist attraction and for hunting.

In his coffee table book, Cattle of the Ages, Ramaphosa said his love for Ankole cattle ran deep and was to fulfil his father’s legacy and instil a new pride for South Africans in this remarkable breed.

“They each had long, white, beautiful horns glinting in the African sun, and I suddenly became fixated and couldn’t stop looking at them. I was intrigued and in awe and fell in love with these creatures immediately,” said Ramaphosa. 

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