SIYABONGA “Zozo” Mabaso who is the rider of Mpendulo, which is a horse that won bronze in the Dundee July Traditional Horse Race, continued the race after being kicked in the leg by the horse, and ended up hitting the rope.
Mpendulo, a horse from Mgundeni, Utrecht, ridden by Mabaso, won the race at Ndumeni Horse Track, Dundee, on Saturday, and walked away with R600 000.
Second place was taken by Khalelani from Utrecht who received R220 000, followed by Insumansumene from Mpumalanga who received R100 000.
Mpendulo, a horse owned by Zakhele Mntambo, was the one who won the race last year, ridden by Zakhele Mkhabela.
This time Mkhabela was riding Alpha and Omega, a horse from Durban, which he did not see playing.
Vezokuhle Nala, the owner of Mathole Funerals, who is one of the sponsors of this race, invested R1 million in Race 11, which is considered the biggest of the 12 races that were run. This has increased the prizes since last year the winning hare took home R400 000.
In the women’s race, the winning horse was Shayizandla, a horse from Pietermaritzburg that was ridden by Sinothanho Thabethe, second was Mjolisi from Mkhanyakude, and third was Umuntu Akasoliwa from Majuba.
“I encountered difficulties where the horses started when one of my partner’s horses kicked me in the leg. However, because a soldier dies in his job, I continued, and received blessings that I could win even though I was injured,” said Mabaso, from Mgundeni, Utrecht, who accepted the award while limping.
“Our lives as racehorses are gradually changing, which shows that we are far from where we are going. So we ask that other sponsors who are able to contribute come forward, so that we can also make this game the one we live for because job opportunities are very scarce.”
The chairman of the KwaZulu-Natal Traditional Horse Racing Association, Menzi Buthelezi, praised the quality of this race, and expressed his disappointment at the increase in prizes.
“The standard of this year’s race has really increased, so much so that it was not easy to predict which horse would win the race.
The presence of other sponsors in this race means more growth and prosperity than before, it means a lot to horse owners and riders.”
The race was attended by the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, KwaZulu-Natal, Mntomuhle Khawula who was the sponsor, the mayors of the various municipalities that make up the Mzinyathi region and the Premier of the province, Thami Ntuli.