The Silent Sheep: A Story of Care and Continuity

Koma Happiness

By: Happiness Koma

The Silent Sheep: A Story of Care and Continuity
On 20 June 2025, I met an old lady with a herd of sheep that she inherited from her late husband.
She is residing with her nephew, and the nephew knew nothing about Livestock or animals. The old
lady saw me passing and called me. She then asked me to come into the kraal. When l got there, she
told me that one of her sheep was not standing up. “It’s been about a week now since it has been
like this, and it is very weak;” she doesn’t,t know what the sheep is suffering from.
She said to me, “I always hear you talking about environmental things, maybe you might know what
the sheep are going through”. Then I remembered my leadership, my sister, with whom I am
working, who can assist in this matter, a brave woman, namely Mmathapelo Thobejane. She helped
people in her village with their Livestock. After I had talked with her, I saw a big smile on the lady’s
face. Because it was not the first time during winter, it was the third sheep that got the same
disease. I found help, and it was useful when Mmathapelo Thobejane wanted to see the sheep
medication that we had at that time. She told me to buy Bicarbonate soda mixed with clean water. I
did that from Monday, and around Thursday, it started to eat and run, etc. “We gave it a cool drink”.
The old lady said. She also said that she would tell other Livestock owners about this kind of
situation, and if they met the same issue, they should call Mmathapelo.
Words of gratitude to Mmathapelo, they said she must keep doing what she did for the old lady’s
sheep. Mmathapelo says that she didn’t know that she knew Livestock. The old lady said she also did
not know that every day when I say I’m going to a meeting or workshop, we are doing good things
like this. As I speak, the sheep is healthy and walking freely
The Livestock men asked for a meeting with the SEJN team. The purpose of the meeting is to teach
them about their Livestock.