Afrikaner cattle were developed from the native Khoi-Khoi cattle of the Cape of Good Hope which are thought to have arisen from the long-horned Zebu and the Egyptian longhorn and is a native South African breed. The Afrikaner belongs to the Sanga type. Sanga type cattle, in huge herds, were owned by the Hottentots when the Dutch established the Cape Colony in 1652. The animals were obtained by the colonists who improved them for use as draft animals. It was Afrikaner oxen that drew the wagons which carried Boer farmers and families on the Great Trek of 1835-36 from the Cape of Good Hope to the Orange Free State, Natal, and the Transvaal to escape British rule.

The breed was almost exterminated when huge numbers died of rinderpest or were destroyed during the South African Boer War.

Since then the breed has been developed into a competitive beef breed and was the first indigenous South African breed to form a breed society in 1912. Nowadays it is probably the most popular indigenous cattle breed in South Africa. Though the population size in 1998 is reported to be 20,465, its cryogenic conservation in semen form and keeping the animals in the different improvement stations in South Africa is expected to ensure that it is not at risk.

The Afrikaner was used with Shorthorn in developing the Bonsmara breed and with Holstein in creating the Drakensberger.

Characteristics

The breed has been bred according to breed standards for many generations and shows a high degree of uniformity in colour and conformation, rarely encountered in other African livestock breeds, it is among the largest breeds in Africa. The breed is typically red which can vary from light tan to deep cherry red. They have long lateral horns of a flesh-to-creamy white in colour with amber tips.

Afrikaner cattle exhibit good resistance to heat, a high level of tick resistance, quiet temperament, and a satisfactorily high level of fertility under harsh conditions. It is a heavy beef-type animal and has good meat quality but show lactational anoestrus in times of environmental stress. Mature cows are of a medium size weighing approximately 525 to 600 kg and bulls weigh 750 to 1000 kg. They have loose skin and large drooping ears. The bulls have a hump of muscle and fat on the neck which can rise to 7cm or more above the topline, similar to the Zebu.

There is considerable variation in the performance of pure Afrikaner cattle, especially in weaning weight and growth rate to slaughter age; but in general, they tend to be slow maturing with comparatively low-fat cover. The dressing percentage is 54%.

It is not considered to be a milk animal in South Africa, European dairy breeds supply most of the milk.