Nguni Cattle

The Nguni cattle breed is special to Southern Africa. They descend from Sanga cattle that evolved from the first tamed Aurochsen cattle of Near Eastern origin, at least eight thousand years ago. Nguni cattle are known for their fertility and resistance to diseases,being the favourite breed amongst the local Bantu-speaking people of southern Africa (South Africa, Swaziland, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Angola). They are characterised by their multicoloured skin, which can present many different patterns, but their noses are always black-tipped. They are a principal form of Sanga cattle, which originated as hybrids of Zebu and Taurine cattle in East Africa. DNA analyses have shown that they are a combination of Zebu (Bos indicus) and Bos taurus cattle of Near Eastern origin with some other breeds of local cattle bred from Zebu.