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The National Wool Growers’ Association of South Africa (NWGA) recently held a highly successful inter-regional flock competition in Tarkastad. The enthusiasm and proud display of animals showcased the passion and commitment of communal producers toward their development and progress. The selected animals, chosen from regional flock levels, represented the best quality that the communal areas of the Eastern Cape have to offer. This year saw a similar number of entries as previous years, with a total of 102 entries: 24 in the ewe category and 30 in the ram category. Judges Kleintjie Pienaar and Charl van der Merwe from BKB noted significant improvements in the quality of the animals compared to last year.
Here are the results:
Ewe lambs: Mount Fletcher dominated the lamb category, securing first, second, and fifth places. Sterkspruit took third place, and NWGA national vice chairman, Zolani Tsheko’s lamb stood tall in fourth place.
- Winner: Nkosana Kambi, Mount Fletcher (Reg. 24)
- Runner up and fifth place: VMB Shearing Shed, Mount Fletcher (Reg. 24)
- Third place: K Khayingana, Sterkspruit (Reg. 25)
- Fourth place: Zolani Tsheko, Ntabathemba (Reg. 23)
Two-tooth ewes: Sterkspruit proudly presented their two-tooth ewes, earning first, second, and fourth places in this category. Lady Frere achieved third place and Peddie fifth place.
- Winner: V Hashtag, Sterkspruit (Reg. 25)
- Runner up and fourth place: M Tshewula, Sterkspruit (Reg. 25)
- Third place: M Manqola, Lady Frere (Reg. 23)
- Fifth place: V Maxhwane, Peddie (Reg. 21)
Four-to-eight-tooth ewes: The ewe category showcased animals in the four-year age range, drawing 24 entries. The judges were impressed with the winning animals, predominantly from Mount Fletcher, which secured first, second, fourth, and fifth places, while Lady Frere took third place.
- Winner: T Tsoananyana, Mount Fletcher (Reg. 24)
- Runner up and fourth place: Duba, Mount Fletcher (Reg. 24)
- Third place: A Siwela, Lady Frere (Reg. 23)
- Fifth place: VMB Shearing Shed, Mount Fletcher (Reg. 24)
Rams: The ram category, which had the most entries, displayed animals of good quality and conformity. The winning ram, as in previous years, came from Sterkspruit, with newcomer Bolotwa (Queenstown) taking second, third, and fifth places. Mount Fletcher secured fourth place in this category.
- Winner: TS Lekhula, Sterkspruit (Reg. 25)
- Runner up, third, and fifth places: G Soga, Bolotwa, Queenstown (Reg. 23)
- Fourth place: Jukuda, Mount Fletcher (Reg. 24)
Congratulations to Mount Fletcher and Sterkspruit who have consistently produced higher-quality animals and won numerous awards.
With the second and fifth placements in the lamb category and another fifth place in the four-to-eight tooth ewes’ category, VMB Shearing Shed from Mount Fletcher was announced as the overall winner. Congratulations on the impressive quality of your animals. The four-to-eight-tooth ewe belonging to T Tsoananyana was selected as the sheep of the day, clearly demonstrating why she won the overall competition. – NWGA
