The Kalahari goat arrived in South Africa and Namibia with migrating tribes from the north of Africa. Early records describe lob-eared goats in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape, as well as in areas of Namibia. In the 1970s, Tollie Jordaan of Grootvlakte in the Somerset East district, Albie Horn of Hartebeeshoek near De Aar in the Northern Cape, Louis van Rensburg of Wonderpan near Prieska, also in the Northern Cape, and Ben Vorster of Tshipese in Limpopo, all started breeding and selecting red goats. DNA tests was conducted to determine if there was sufficient genetic separation between the Boer goats, Savannahs and Kalahari Goats to warrant registering them as a new breed.

The results showed that the difference between the red goats and the Boer goats was greater than between the Boer goats and the Savannahs.

On the 9th July 1999, Wallace Kier, Ray Anderson and Peter Firth, and others imported embryos from South African breeders to Australia, expanding bloodlines.

KGAA will be implementing robust strategies to expand and encourage more goat breeders/farmers in Australia to build numbers and strengthen the quality and farming practices for demand both domestically and internationally.