The southern point of Africa was known among seafarers as the “Fairest Cape in the world”, but also the “Cape of Storms”. Similarly the climatic conditions and ecosystems of Southern Africa vary from lovely subtropical rain forests to infinite savannah plains and beautiful Kalahari sand dunes.

However, these wonderful, spectacular ecosystems also contain a bubbling cauldron with a witches’ brew of extreme climatic conditions and tick-born and other diseases that try all living organisms to the utmost. An example of the destructive effect of diseases in Africa is the Rinderpest of 1896 when great numbers of cattle and Cape buffalo died in areas south of Botswana.

These unfavorable conditions and merciless natural selection did, however, result in large numbers of well and great variety of indigenous stock breeds.

Examples of South Africa game are: Great, majestic elephants, dangerous buffalo and rhino, graceful giraffe, kudu and eland, attractive sable and tiny dikdikkies and steenbokkies. There are also the unique well adapted indigenous cattle breeds such as the Afrikaner and Nguni, sheep breeds such as the spectacular black-headed Persians, Namaqua sheep, Ronderib Afrikaner sheep and Nguni and Damara sheep breeds. Indigenous goat breeds, for example, are the striking red-headed Boer goats, White Savanna goats, dapple goats, small eared goats and the hardy red and appelbont goats, as well as the Kalahari Reds.

During the 5th to 15th century AD indigenous peoples such as the Khoi-Khoi tribes emigrated south along a tsetse-free corridor through the tropical forests of the equator as a result of ethic violence in the great lakes region (Congo, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi). Conditions have clearly not changed much in the past 1500 years in the area. These indigenous folk owned Sebu type cattle, fatty-tail sheep and indigenous ridgeback dogs and trekked south along the drier West coast through Angola, Namibia and Namaqualand. From their hardy indigenous stock breeds the beautiful Afrikaner cattle, humid short-eared thin-tailed and hairy sheep, and later the Bonsmara, were developed. From the fatty-tail sheep, the Blinkhaar Afrikaner, the Namaqua Afrikaner and the Damara sheep were developed. From their dogs indigenous breeds such as the Rhodesian ridgeback was bred.

At the same time various black peoples with Sanga cattle, short-ear, dwarsstert, hairy and short-haired goats, and dogs moved south along the humid, warm, tick-infested East coast. During these migrations all poorly adapted, inferior cattle, goats, sheep and dogs were completely eliminated by natural selection and predators.

The result was that only the best adapted animals survived. The hardy Nguni cattle were bred from the cattle and the short-ear Zulu or Nguni sheep evolved from the sheep. From the goats the refined red-head Boer goats, the white Savannah goat, Pedi goats, Kalahari Reds and even the short-ear or Muisoor goats were bred.

The best known Savannah stud is the White goats of DSU Cilliers and Son. This flock was started in 1957 along the Vaal River, where temperatures and rainfall vary greatly, with a number of mixed indigenous ewes and a good White ram. From these goats the Cilliers brothers bred the Olierivier Savannah goats through strict selection for fertility and adaptation.

During a meeting of indigenous goat breeders at Olierivier on 21 November 1993 it was resolved to establish a Savannah Goat Breeders’ Society and to lay down breed standards for Savannah goats. At a meeting at Olierivier on 19 November 1996 it was resolved to allow Kalahari red or brown goats, dapple goats and muisoor goats as well as the existing white goats into the Savannah Goat Breeder’ Society.

Since then the Savannah Goat Breeders’ Society has made great strides and in March 1998 a very successful first national championship show with a 160 goats was held in Bloemfontein. Sales of savannah goats are regularly conducted at Olierivier and Prieska. Sales and national shows, and now world shows, are regularly held for all the different goat breeds. Because of their adaptability the Savannah goats embody the following advantages: (please follow link to see these advantages and to see the breed standard).

Teresa and Tim Swain