By Maliza Adendorff
A photograph of a renowned sheep shearer from Loeriesfontein, Jors Makou, claimed the first prize in the National Wool Growers’ Association (NWGA) and Santam’s 2024 photography competition.
The theme of this year’s competition focused on sustainable sheep and wool production. Judges had to select a winner from 203 entries submitted by 26 participants. Chrismari van der Westhuizen-Batt, from the farm Uitspankolk near Loeriesfontein, emerged as the winner.
The NWGA donated her winning photograph to the Department of Agriculture. Prints of this photo now grace the walls of the department’s offices in Cape Town and Pretoria.
Raising awareness through photography
“I took many photo’s during the drought to show people what [a drought] looks like,” says Van der Westhuizen-Batt. “But also to give people a glimpse of life on a farm – particularly on a Karoo farm.”
She explained that the sheep meat and wool industry is sometimes portrayed negatively. For her, the photographs are about raising awareness of animal welfare in farming. “There is so much more to sheep farming than just slaughtering and shearing,” she said. “The entire sheep industry deserves to be seen in a better light.”
Van der Westhuizen-Batt added that she is not a professional photographer but rather pursues photography as a hobby. Chrismari’s photo’s regularly feature on the front cover of African Farming’s sister magazine, Landbouweekblad.
“The reason we started this competition was to build a photo bank of various types and themes of photographs,” explained Bonita Francis, public relations officer for the NWGA. These photos are used across different platforms, both online and in publications. The winning photograph is also displayed at the NWGA office.
Although this competition has not been held every year, Francis confirmed that it would return in 2025.
Strong partnerships
“The National Department of Agriculture has been a critical partner for many years,” says Dan Kriek, NWGA’s general manager. He explained that the department has provided significant funding to establish and promote the wool industry. Kriek highlighted the valuable public-private partnership between the NWGA and the Department of Agriculture.
The relationship with the department is highly significant, according to Kriek. “We are proud of our relationship with the department, proud of our farmers, our wool, and the industry as a whole.”
For Kriek, the photo of the shearer captures the essence of the sheep farming industry. “This photo holds so much symbolism; it is essentially a showcase of the wool industry.”
“The entire wool industry is built on traceability and sustainability,” said Kriek. He noted that animal welfare is integral to sustainability, and the photographs demonstrate that the animals are healthy and well-looked after.
“The wool industry must be traceable and sustainable.” Kriek emphasised. “Without those aspects, there essentially is no industry.”
