Times Of Swaziland: 41 MORE CATTLE DIE 41 MORE CATTLE DIE ================================================================================ BY THEMBA ZWANE on 10/10/2016 07:27:00 HAWANE – More cattle have reportedly died after being fed hay bales brought from a supplier in neighbouring South Africa. It was reported over the weekend that 95 cattle belonging to government had died after feeding from the same hay bales. Not so long ago, farmers had to deal with the effects of the drought that cost them their livestock. And now, they have lost more cattle due to the suspected poisoned hay bales. Deceased A total of 26 cattle died at deceased Intamakuphila buses owner Samuel Dlamini’s farm at Hawane after they were fed hay bales bought at Mpisi Farm. The value of the dead cattle could be estimated to be worth E130 000. Overseer of Dlamini’s farm at Hawane, Elijah Mamba, had a difficult time narrating the ordeal yesterday when the publication team visited the farm. “Mrs Dlamini, who now monitors the farm after the death of her husband, bought two hay bales at Mpisi farm on Thursday. “This follows the drying up of the grazing lands and one of the hay bales was fed to the cattle on the evening of Thursday,” said Mamba. He said they kept the other bale with the thought that they would feed the cattle later. “To our shock, on Friday morning, we found the cattle lying helplessly with swollen stomachs, some were found to have already died,” said Mamba. The farmkeeper said they then reported the catastrophe to the farm owner, who in turn called Mpisi farm authorities. Fed According to Mamba, the owner was informed that they had encountered the same problem at Mpisi farm as cattle also died after they were fed the hay bought from the South African supplier. Mamba said they were confused on what to do next as the cattle continued to die despite all efforts carried out to try and save them. “The death toll is now at 26, this means that all the cattle that had been kept in the kraal have died. Not a single one of them which had eaten the poisonous hay managed to survive,” he said.