Tipping Cyril’s prized cattle on the N4

Two cows and a bull had an unfortunate scare in the back of a cattle trailer when a wheel on the trailer burst, and they were tipped over on the N4 whilst they were being transported to Middelburg – a real ‘milkshake’ and mess up.

Calls started coming through on the Zello App at around 16:00 on Friday, June 7, that a cattle trailer had tipped over approximately 100m from the on-ramp onto the N4 headed towards Middelburg.

According to the driver of the bakkie that was pulling the trailer, the tyres on the trailer burst and the trailer started swaying.

The driver managed to maintain control of the bakkie, preventing a serious accident from happening, as there were many other vehicles on the road. The trailer tipped over onto its side, and the driver managed to bring the trailer and bakkie to a stop in the middle of the highway.

The highway was quickly closed by Trac and the trailer was tilted upright in a Herculean effort by the tow truck company and bystanders who had witnessed the accident.

The trailer was soon moved to the middle embankment of the highway out of harm’s way.

Dr Nolan Landman from the Witbank Veterinary Hospital was on scene within minutes and assessed the condition of the cattle.

A hatch on top of the trailer was opened so that they could secure the bull inside, who was kicking aggressively. Upon opening the banged-up trailer, the two cows and one bull inside were still alive, but in severe shock.

Landman sprang into action to quickly give them injections and treatment to prevent them from dying from shock and medication for the pain.

These were not just three ordinary animals in this trailer, but three of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s prized Ankole-Watusi cattle from his Ntaba Nyoni Cattle Farm.

The trailer with the three cattle on board was loaded onto a tow truck and taken to a private farm in Balmoral where they could be off-loaded safely, treated more effectively, and assessed for further injury.

Both cows and the prize stud had no life-threatening injuries, except that sadly the one cow lost a big beautiful horn which snapped off during the accident.

“All three cattle are sore but are going to survive. We will continue to treat them and are thankful for the swift action of Trac, the towing company, and the bystanders who assisted those who helped move the trailer. The animals have been treated for shock but will be right as rain within a few days,” said Landman.

Staff from the cattle farm who were on scene declined to comment.

Do you have a story to share?

Please send us an email to info@witbanknews.co.za or phone us on 013 656 2490

•   For more breaking and community news, visit Witbank News’ website www.witbanknews.co.za 
•   For more news and articles, like WITBANK NEWS on Facebook or

follow us on Twitter or Instagram