President Cyril Ramaphosa breeds Ankole at his Phala Phala farm, and Uganda's Yoweri Museveni uses the breed as a diplomatic tool. (National Encore Auction)
- President Cyril Ramaphosa raises Ankole on his Parapara farm and is known for his farm in Yoweri, Uganda. Museveni uses the breed as a diplomatic tool.
- Last week, Zimbabwe's Emmerson Mnangagwa welcomed the social media-loving businessman to his farm to show off his herd.
- In South Africa, Encores fetch amazing prices at auction.
The Ankole has to be the most politically relevant cattle breed. It was popularized by Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni and made its way to South Africa through President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm near Bela Bela in Limpopo province. It is now gaining momentum at the highest levels of politics in Zimbabwe.
In South Africa, Encores fetch amazing prices at auction. Breeders say the breed is well-suited to supplying both milk and beef and can survive in harsh terrain, with its characteristic long horns a plus.
In South Africa, Ramaphosa's herds are tied to his Phala Phala Farm, and these days are well known for trading buffalo, sometimes for cash or dollars.
In Uganda, where the Ankole cow originates, President Museveni treats it as national pride, implementing a policy East African journalists call “Ankole diplomacy.” When Uganda and Kenya clashed again over milk exports in February, an on-site visit to President Museveni's Ankole cow herd was undertaken as part of efforts to defuse the situation.
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In a similar vein, Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa hosted controversial businessman Wiknell Chibayo to his 405-hectare Pulekabe farm in Kwekwe this weekend.
Chivayo, who loves social media, wasted no time boasting about the excursion, posting pictures online and giving an insight into Mnangagwa's time away from his desk.
“I was especially impressed by the president's beautiful herd of Angkor cattle. The Angkor breed is originally from East Africa, but is primarily found in Rwanda,” Chibayo wrote on his Facebook page. .
The presidential palace did not respond to questions about how many Ankole the head of state owns.
Among Mr Mnangagwa's previous guests at Plekabe Farm is Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, who accompanied him on the tour during a state visit in 2023.
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