Wool farmers at Ngonyama Village in South Africa's Eastern Cape have received a R1.4 million shearing shed from the provincial agriculture department, ending years of shearing sheep in their homes.

Agriculture MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe handed over the fully equipped shed — with a plunge dipping tank, ablution facilities, an office, removable animal-handling facilities and fencing — with Mbashe Local Municipality executive mayor Dr Samkelo Janda. The department also donated 10 Dohne Merino rams to improve the quality of the wool clip.

The shed's association, formed in 2017, has 48 members, 23 women and 25 men. Last season they sheared 3,409 sheep and produced 19 bales of wool, sold to CMW in Gqeberha for R98,342. Before the investment, members of the Masibambisane Woolgrowers Association travelled more than 15 kilometres to a shed in Xeni location in another ward.

"Over the past nine to 10 years we were using our houses to shear sheep. We are hopeful that using this shed will increase the quality and quantity of wool," said association chairman Mtutuzeli Vayisi, adding that rams provided by the department in 2022 had already improved their flock.

Kontsiwe urged the farmers to become commercial and eventually export their own wool "for even better returns instead of only supplying other people", and called on the community to work with police against stock theft. Janda asked residents to keep the shed for shearing and not convert it into churches or crèches.

Source: Food for Mzansi