By Montsho Matlala

Once a qualified nurse and emergency medical services paramedic, Ismail Makgati is now fully committed to livestock farming. He draws on his medical knowledge – especially in antibiotics and birthing techniques – to raise cattle, goats, sheep and rabbits for sale, with abattoirs and auctions as his primary markets.

For Ismail, determination, continuous learning and resilience are essential to keeping operations running smoothly on his 500-hectare farm, Mogati Agri Coop, in the mountains of Sehlakwane near Groblersdal in Limpopo’s Sekhukhune district.

The farm is sustained by two boreholes, one powered by a windpump and the other by a generator. During the rainy season, a stream that flows into the nearby Tubatse River also helps to supplement his water supply.

Ismail runs a diverse livestock operation that includes 80 Brangus cattle, 64 goats, 40 Dorper sheep and 14 New Zealand white rabbits (12 does and 2 bucks). Although farming is rewarding, he acknowledges that it is not an easy endeavour. Together with two full-time workers – and occasionally temporary workers – Ismail works from early morning until late at night to care for his animals and maintain equipment on the farm.

He began with a flock of mostly mixed-breed goats, but is now focused on building a Boer goat flock by mating the ewes with a purebred Boer goat ram. He is seeing the results of his efforts – most of the flock now shows predominantly Boer goat traits.

A Paramedic Returns To His Roots To Farm With Livestock — A paramedic returns to his roots to farm with livestock

Market access

Ismail primarily sells his livestock through auctions, direct sales to customers and abattoirs.

“When it comes to rabbits, I must admit that I am my number-one customer,” he says. “I raise them here on the farm for my own family’s meals in Tsimanyane village. The rabbits are ready for cooking at eight months old. Additionally, I receive regular orders from people who enjoy rabbit meat, and I supply them from my breeding stock.”

Ismail sells his cattle at auctions in Groblersdal, Middelburg and Belfast in Mpumalanga. “Sometimes, I also supply butcheries and abattoirs in Groblersdal and Middelburg. I select around 10 weaners and place them in a feedlot for three months, allowing them to be well-fed before selling them.”

He also sells his sheep and goats at auctions and to abattoirs, and sometimes to individual buyers – such as goats for cultural or religious rituals. “Muslims buy them for celebrations like Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan,” he says. “They often seek white or brown goats, and I usually have these animals in stock.”

The value of knowledge

Passion and determination drive Ismail to keep learning, whether through workshops, formal training or interactions with other farmers.

“I must express my gratitude to the lecturers at Tompi Seleka College of Agriculture [near Marble Hall] who provided us with part-time training as emerging farmers for a few weeks,” he says. “The Limpopo Department of Agriculture also runs workshops, where I’ve received training in animal management, disease management, feeding and feedlots, among others.

“I also enjoy learning from other farmers engaged in various livestock operations. And veterinarians from both private companies and the government share valuable information and assistance.”

Ismail is pleased that the medical skills he acquired during his former career in healthcare now serve him well in his work with livestock.

“When a trainer discusses topics such as immunisation or antibiotics like oxytetracycline, I understand quickly, and at times I can even explain these concepts to fellow farmers during or after the training sessions,” he says.

He recalls one of his cows having a difficult labour. “At one point, the cow experienced dystocia, which was a very distressing situation. I called the vet, who provided instructions over the phone. As a result, I was able to assist the animal successfully. The delivery went perfectly, with no infections for either the mother or the calf.”

Grandpa laid the foundation

Ismail credits his grandparents from Mohlalaotwane village near Marble Hall with sparking his passion for cattle farming. Growing up in the 1970s, he took care of their indigenous cattle at the family kraal.

He recalls a particular day in 1983 when a cow gave birth to a calf, but had no nipples for the calf to suckle. “My grandfather resigned himself to the fact that the calf would die and consoled himself with the thought that at least the cow would survive. I could not accept that outcome. The following morning, I boarded a taxi to Marble Hall town to buy milk for the calf. I fed that calf until it grew into a bull.”

Later, someone came looking for a cow to slaughter. His grandfather suggested selling the bull, and he agreed. In exchange, his grandfather gave him one of his own cows, which went on to birth several calves in the years that followed, laying the foundation for his own cattle farming enterprise.

While training and working as a nurse at Matlala Hospital, about 12 km away, he continued his side hustle as a cattle farmer. He eventually built a house near the hospital and relocated his small herd from his grandfather’s kraal to a kraal he had constructed in his own yard.

While employed by the Limpopo Department of Health and transitioning from nursing to becoming an EMS officer, he maintained his part-time livestock operation at home. In 2012, he attended workshops run by the organisation formerly known as NTK, which equipped emerging farmers with knowledge and practical skills in livestock farming.

The programme included a carcass competition that assessed knowledge and expertise in animal nutrition and health. Participants selected a few animals to enter into the competition and kept them in backyard feedlots for 120 days before they were judged.

“This experience helped me significantly when I applied for a farm from the government,” Ismail says. “I included documentation in my application to prove that my cow had achieved fourth place in one of those competitions during the early 1990s, even though I was not a full-time livestock farmer at the time.”

Resilience despite setbacks

Ismail encourages aspiring farmers to be resilient and never give up if they truly want to feed themselves and contribute to the country.

“I had a terrible experience after moving to this farm in 2019. I had 25 cattle, 50 sheep and 30 goats. Just when I thought both the animals and I were acclimatising to farm life, my goats and sheep started dying at an alarming rate, without any signs of illness,” he recalls.

“I had to rush a few of the remaining animals back home to Tsimanyane, but a few days later, more died. It was painful, but it motivated me to search for solutions. I received valuable advice from local residents and agricultural officers.

“The cause of death among my small livestock was identified as the ingestion of a poisonous plant that the goats and sheep consumed while grazing. I now ensure that I uproot poisonous shrubs according to guidelines from experts and other farmers. The key to success in farming is to persevere through obstacles and, most importantly, to learn from them,” Ismail says.

With quiet optimism, he adds, “My plans are to grow my operation to a point where I can hire more employees in the future.”