Institutional factors in natural resource management in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa - Institutional Constraints to Small Farmer Development in Southern Africa - page 233

Rangelands. The natural vegetative cover in the Magwiji community is mostly sweet grass.
The sweet grass is palatable for the animals and it is plentiful in summer. In winter, farmers
opt for supplementary feeding because the grass is inadequate for the animals. The area is
dry and degraded with most of the land being used for communal grazing. Besides grazing,
natural resources within the grazing areas are used and these include fuel wood and wild
fruits. The rangelands are not fenced and this enables the neighbouring villagers to utilize
them.
Livestock. Sheep are the common livestock kept by the community followed by cattle.
Livestock graze on communal rangelands where non-members are excluded. Cattle are
kept for drought power, for paying lobola and for slaughter during funerals. Sheep are kept
for wool production and for slaughter during ceremonies. Goats are few in number and are
kept for religious purposes.
Study site 2: Tsaba community
Geographic location. Tsaba is located at the eastern part of the Eastern Cape Province. It
falls under the Buffalo City municipality. The community is located 33°08'18.6' South and
27°29'38.4' East with the altitude of 176 m above sea level. The main town is East London,
which is on the Indian Ocean coast between Buffalo and Nahoon Rivers and is the second
largest industrial centre in the Eastern Cape Province. Tsaba falls among the disadvantaged
communities surrounding East London.
Climate. The climate varies from mild to warm and humid, tending towards sub-tropical.
Most of the rainfall is experienced during the spring and summer months. The average
rainfall is 850 mm. Winter temperatures ranges from 7 °C to between 19 and 25 °C.
Summer day temperatures range between 28-31 °C. Snowfalls are experienced in winter
on the mountain ranges. The windiest months are during spring while between January and
March is the calmest months (Eastern Cape Parks, 2007).
Rangelands. The natural resources obtained from the rangelands include wild animals, fuel
wood, trees and shrubs, grass and traditional medicines. Vegetative cover is mainly sour field
grass. Large parts of the rangelands are covered with invader plants such as blue bush, which
is dangerous to the animals. The rangelands are fenced and in good conditions
Livestock. Cattle and goats are the common livestock in this area with cattle dominating.
Cattle are kept for draught power and for slaughter during burials. Goats are kept for home
consumption and religious purposes. Both cattle and goats are also kept for cash from sales,
prestige and customary needs. Farmers use traditional medicines and dosage from the
livestock health practitioners to treat animal diseases.