Welcoming the North West to the Mohair Family

Angora  Goat Information Day and Farmworkers Training  

On February 16, 2021, we took the long road to Wolmaransstad. Unsure of how Angoras thrive in that area, we left the Eastern Cape full of excitement.  

Wolmaransstad and the surrounding areas were so incredibly beautiful after the rain they had received – something our Karoo farmers are not used to at all! It just made me pray even harder for rain in our dry areas. 

The next day saw SAMGA host a well-attended information day for producers and farmers interested in Angora farming. It was amazing to see producers from Wolmaransstad, Brits, Bronkhorstspruit and Hartswater attending.  

During the information day I spoke about the work that SAMGA does in the industry as well as the role that the ram breeders play.  

Mark Shires discussed the role of the Mohair Trust, while Lindsay Humphreys and Marco Coetzee presented an overview of the activities of Mohair South Africa and the path we have walked over the last three years.  

Beauty Mokgwamme spoke about the Empowerment Trust and Dr Mackie Hobson addressed health in Angora goats.  

At the end of the day we had three producers explaining how they farm with Angora goats in the Eastern Cape and the North West. They shared some of their challenges as well as their joys in farming with Angora goats. It was a great day and we were excited to welcome the new producers of the North West branch. 

On the Thursday we presented a farmworkers training day where all the producers were also present. It was so great to see the farmworkers listening so attentively to every piece of information shared.  

They were given an in-depth course on how to handle Angora goats and how to monitor the overall health of a goat, as well as mohair classing. 

During our return to the Eastern Cape, we could not stop talking about the incredible potential that exists in the North West.  

The passion the new branch members have for Angora goats is contagious. I am really looking forward to the path that we are going to walk with these producers, and I look forward to watching this branch expand. 

I want to thank every sponsor and every person who worked tireless hours behind the scenes to make this day an incredible success.

I also want to thank the producers from the North West for the incredible hospitality you showed. May your love for Angora goats ignite throughout the region. – Sanmarie Vermaak The comments of other parties were: 

Mark Shires: “The industry trip to Wolmaransstad for the opening of the North West branch was a resounding success.  

“It achieved all the objectives which SAMGA set out to do, namely, having new members joining us, spreading information about the mohair industry and training, not only the staff but producers, too.  

“The enthusiasm displayed by the farmers in attendance was refreshing to see. I feel this could be the start of a substantial increase in mohair in an area that is not renowned for producing mohair.  

“Congratulations to Sanmarie Vermaak for organising this opportunity.” 

Dr Mackie Hobson: “From a vet health perspective, I was most impressed with the condition of the goats I saw, as well as the production figures, regarding both the mohair production and exceedingly low kid mortality rates.  

“Petrus Marx and Stefan Erasmus had, in just a few years, established production systems that were very well adapted to their farming enterprises.  

“With good management systems, Angora goats in the area should do well.”  

Petrus Marx (Wolmaransstad): “The Angora information day was a great success. We, as producers here in the North West, have learned a lot about the structures.  

“It is good for us as producers and future producers to see that an industry functions so well, especially in the days in which we live today, as it makes us positive to invest in such a stable industry.  

“On behalf of the farmers we just want to say a big thank you to everyone who was involved with the day. It’s nice for us to see, even though we’re small and only a few producers, that the industry is reaching out to us.  

“I think the day made history with the first Angora information day and the establishment of a Mohair Growers branch in the North West. Definitely a day to remember!  

“With such an industry behind us, we can proudly say we farm Angoras in the North West.” 

Pauline Mostert (Bronkhorstspruit): “The North West Angora information day was invaluable to me.  

“I fetched my first Angora ewes from Hofmeyr in the Karoo three years ago and brought them to Gauteng, after which my mentor, Johan du Plessis, was bombarded by endless questions.  

“At first it was just for fun, but last week I was able to hear firsthand how to take my Angora farming to a higher standard, to take care of my kids so they can thrive and also to talk to fellow farmers from the region.  

“I am now so excited about the future of our goats and look forward to learning even more about classing my mohair and eventually producing better mohair and becoming a fully-fledged Angora producer in Gauteng.”