THERE was a shock and a stir in the field of horse racing, caused by the conviction of the well-known jockey Smanga Khumalo, after an investigation by the National Horseracing Authority (NHA).
This came to light on Monday, when the board that was investigating Khumalo, regarding the charges involving breaking the law of the way things are done in the game, found him guilty of corruption, bribery and breaking the law of the way things are done.
Khumalo from KwaMashu, Durban, and who has won the major Durban July horse racing competition, was facing these three crimes which he is said to have committed between October last year and February this year.
The first charge involved passing on secret information about a certain race, which turned out to be Khumalo giving details of the race plans and how the horse usually works in collaboration with Noor Iqbal, who is suspected of being in cahoots with him in this case.
That information was released with the intention of betting on it and disrespecting the nature of horse racing, and Khumalo admitted to the crime.
The second case involving bribery for the purpose of exchanging certain information about the departure is expected to take place in the race. The board found that Khumalo was bribed with a sum of R128 000, which he himself admitted.
The third and most serious case involves fixing the results of the games, which it turns out that Khumalo deliberately failed himself in order to win some jockeys. Although he denied it, the board found evidence that he was guilty.
The investigation report revealed that the sentence he should receive for these crimes is currently being considered, and is expected to continue on Friday.
On the other hand, another jockey, Luyolo Mxothwa, was sentenced to be suspended for five years from participating in the game after being investigated by the NHA, which was completed on May 14.
His license to participate in the game has been revoked, although three years of his sentence have been suspended with the condition that it can be commuted.
Among the conditions set for Mxothwa, it includes that he must provide full details of everything he knows about violations of horse racing rules, including those who were interviewed with the price planners and betting methods, the people who bet and those who appear to be involved in illegal betting.
He is also required to submit an affidavit confirming that there is no more information he has hidden, and submit a letter of apology to the NHA within 30 days, and that he will be required to be involved in programs to ensure the observance of the law of this game. In addition, he is required to pay an investigation fee of R50 000 within 24 months.