- Note - In the 1970's, in Rhodesia, the national beef
herd stood at about 5 million. The liberation struggle caused tremendous
damage to the national beef herd which stood somewhere round about 1-1.5
million. Compare that with the current numbers and you will see the staggering
decline in that country. Cattle are extremely important to everyone. There
is also a breed of cattle specially developed by scientists in Rhodesia
for local conditions. No doubt all this will soon be gone. Jan
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- By Fred Bridgland
Sunday Independent (SA)
12-29-3
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- Zimbabwe's commercial beef cattle herd, which until three-and-a-half
years ago earned more than R14-billion annually from exports, is on the
verge of extinction as a result of the country's political upheavals. The
national herd, bred over a period of 110 years for survival in Zimbabwe's
harsh conditions, stood at 1,4 million animals in 2000 when President Robert
Mugabe launched his farm invasion strategy. The invasions initially benefited
landless peasants. But they, in turn, were removed from properties when
government ministers and their relatives, judges, diplomats and pro-government
journalists began laying claim to farms. "By the middle of this year
only 210 000 beef cattle survived. At the last count there were fewer than
125 000 animals, but the number will be lower by now," Paul D'Hotman,
chief executive of the Harare-based Cattle Producers' Association, said
on Friday. "The entire national herd is on the road to extinction
and the whole gene pool is being wiped out."
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- The looming disappearance of one of Zimbabwe's most valuable
assets is the most dramatic illustration yet of the meltdown that is occurring
in a country with the world's highest inflation rate (620 percent) and
the fastest-declining economy. Dirk Odendaal was one of Zimbabwe's top
beef farmers until last year when he was given 48 hours to quit his 2 015
hectare farm and homestead with his herd of 1 200 pedigree cross Brahmin-Charolet
cattle that he had bred over 22 years. "It was impossible to get such
a large number of animals off the farm in that time," he said. "It
was heartbreaking." Odendaal, whose farm, Condor "A", lies
250km south of Harare in Masvingo province, said that in the first few
hours many of his cattle were stolen as peasant settlers opened gates and
broke down fences. "There was a complete breakdown of law and order
and no police backup. Thieves were coming from all over."
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- Odendaal, who bought his farm in 1981, one year after
Zimbabwe achieved independence, said about 300 of his cattle were stolen.
He managed to remove others to a neighbouring property and began selling
them for slaughter. "Together with other farmers ordered off their
land, I began going to the abattoirs and auctions to convert my animals
into cash." He estimates that in Masvingo only about 1 000 beef cattle
survive out of the 54 000 still in the province less than 12 months ago.
The now homeless Odendaal is camped with his last 100 beasts on a small
property that has been lent to him. He intends selling most of the animals,
but prices are down 40 percent since last week. "I'm not a viable
unit anymore," said 55-year-old Odendaal, married with three sons.
"But I'm determined to stay here. I'm a Zimbabwean. I was born and
grew up here, and my mother was born here in 1918."
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- http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=8298
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