News24 | Ramaphosa cattle break records at auction, with one heifer fetching R6.4m

The three-year-old Queen Arusha fetched R6.4 million at a new auction, a record price for the breed.

Landbou.com/Veilingswinkel

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A pregnant Ankole heifer, owned by president Cyril Ramaphosa, set a South African record over the weekend, becoming the priciest female animal ever sold across all cattle breeds.

Netwerk24 reports that Queen Arusha fetched R6.4 million, also a record price for the breed.

Two semen straws from a Ramaphosa-owned bull also set a new record.

An anonymous buyer won the auction for the heifer at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm near Bela-Bela in Limpopo.

The three-year-old Queen Arusha is the sister of Optimus Prime, the biggest Ankole bull in South Africa, with horns spanning a massive 173cm each. Ramaphosa owns Optimus Prime.

Optimus Prime is described as SA’s biggest Ankole bull by Veilingswinkel.

Veilingswinkel

Two straws of Optimus Prime’s female-sexed semen fetched R250 000 each at the auction, a new local record for sexed semen across breeds, Farmer’s Weekly reported.

JP Smith, head of the auction house Veilingswinkel, told Netwerk24 that Queen Arusha had an exceptionally strong bloodline.

Smith said the buyer was not merely buying an animal but gaining access to future genetic production.

A single good female can produce multiple calves over her lifetime, and her genetics can be further propagated through natural mating, AI and other reproductive technologies, Netwerk24 reported.

The heifer came from Ramaphosa’s Ntaba Nyoni cattle farm, which was founded in 2004 after he bought 40 Ankole cows and 3 bulls from Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni.

During a visit to Uganda, Ramaphosa first encountered the Ankole, a hardy and parasite-resistant breed famous for their massive, curved horns that can reach up to 2.4 metres. They also have a long lifespan of up to 25 years.

Ramaphosa is the biggest owner of Ankole cattle in South Africa, with his Phala Phala stud farm becoming infamous after two burglars stole $580 000 from it in 2020, with the money allegedly earned at a cattle auction and stuffed under a sofa cushion.

This triggered a range of accusations against Ramaphosa, along with legal action and the launch of a parliamentary committee which must still determine whether the president is guilty of misconduct warranting his removal.