09 Jul 2019

Horse racing fanatics will be spoilt for choice when two clubs, Houmoed Kokotsha Horse Race Club and Kokotsha Community Horse Racing Association host races on July 15.

The two races will be stage in Kokotsha, a small village with a population of about 2 500 people. 

The question is, why stage two races of what has historically proven to be Kgalagadi’s greatest event and divide resources?

In an interview, Houmoed Kokotsha club public relations officer, Jan Vissagie explained that the races would go on as scheduled despite encountering challenges from their competitor, Kokotsha racing association who, he said, deliberately staged the race on the same date at another ground.

The horse race started in Werda in 1989, but in 1998 and 1999 the race was not staged. 

In 2000, it was moved to Kokotsha because most of the participants who owned horses were from the village.

Their aim was to improve the livelihoods of people in Kgalagadi District.

“If people can participate and win, they can put food on the table. We also do fundraising activities such as selling stalls to the community,” he said.

Last year, they joined hands with Kokotsha racing association to stage one horse race which was successful, but this year that was not the case.

Vissagie said staging of the two races posed a serious challenge.  “We have a problem we are facing now. We have tried to talk about this issue, but failed. Last year, we met and did one race, this year it is a challenge.”

In 2018, Botswana Association of Local Authorities (BALA) sponsored the race on condition that there was local community empowerment through hiring of services of the people in Kgalagadi. They also demanded that organisers use artistes from the region.

He said they made some proceeds which they submitted to BALA, but that the association was yet to furnish the joint race committee with a report. “There is no report to date, but we are working on it.”

On the other hand, Kokotsha racing association’s Kabo Medupi said they parted ways with the Houmoed club on account of lack of accountability for finances.

In 2014, Medupi was vice chairperson of the Houmoed club, but said he parted ways “because there was lack of accountability, and that the racing ground belonged to a committee and not the community.”

He stated that when sponsorship was sought, it was requested in the name of community development. However, he said that was not the case because the bank account belonged to an individual.

Furthermore, he explained that in 2015 the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development sponsored the event to the tune of P105 000. He said only P70 000 was used to pay bills while the remaining amount was unaccounted for.

Kgosi Samson Kudume was also concerned about staging two races in the village on the same day, arguing that such split resources.

He said some of the horses came from Charleshill, Ghanzi, Bokspits, Jwaneng, Mochudi, Borolong, Dutlwe, Good  Hope, Kokotsha and other parts of Botswana. 

“Who is going to compete at which racing track?” he asked rhetorically.

Kgosi Kadume highlighted that he had tried to mediate between the two committees, but that his efforts proved futile. ENDS