In the 18th century, Prickly Pear Cactus was introduced to South Africa by European settlers as living fencing, but it spread across 900,000 hectares and became an agricultural nightmare

Opuntia ficus-indica, also commonly known as prickly pear, reached South Africa with European settlers in the 18th century, and became particularly useful as food, fodder and a living barrier around properties. It spread through the country's dry eastern regio