Goat farming in South Africa is tied to tradition, and most goat meat still moves through informal markets. Buhlebenkosi Mbatha is trying to turn it into a mainstream commercial product, Food for Mzansi reports.
Mbatha, a University of Pretoria graduate with no farming background, bought five indigenous veld goats at home in Ulundi, KwaZulu-Natal, in 2018 while unemployed, after hearing Dr Bandile Mkhize talk about the goat industry at a conference. He later worked with Kalahari Reds through a government-supported programme and trained other farmers, before starting Incoso Goat Meat in 2022.
He now coordinates the value chain rather than farming himself. Incoso buys live goats from farmers through the Qhakaza Goat Farmers Association, selected by age and breed and reserved for food rather than breeding, outsources slaughter to commercial and small abattoirs under its own procedures, and cuts and packs in-house. It sells carcasses, stew, chops, mince, wors and offal, is experimenting with goat salami and biltong, and sells skins to tanneries.
Customers include Jackson's Real Food Market and Food Lovers Market stores in Gauteng, chef Leko Madlala's restaurant, butcheries, hotels and caterers, with resellers in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga and more planned. Mbatha says the company has an export deal for Dubai through a UAE importer it cannot name. "My focus isn't only just goat farming, but to ensure that goat farmers are considered commercially," he said.
Photo: Grace789 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Food for Mzansi
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