22 Mar 2020

Mascom derby chief organiser, Charlie Mabua has urged local horse owners, who had registered to participate in the 2020 Mascom Derby to be patient and adhere to measures in place to control the COVID-19 outbreak.

This followed the postponement of the annual Mascom Derby, which was billed for Easter holidays in Maun. The event attracts many participants and spectators from all corners of the country and beyond borders.

The main sponsor of the event, Mascom Wireless announced the postponement of the spectacular to July 19, in line with guidelines by the government and in the interest of the safety and well-being of participants, spectators and the public at large.

In an interview, Mabua appreciated that the postponement had inconvenienced the organisers as they had invested resources and efforts into preparing for the event.

Furthermore, Mabua urged participants to be patient and seek God’s intervention at ‘this difficult time’, adding that the organisers were equally frustrated because they had budgeted for the event.

Tshepo Tshotlako, who is part of the organising team, admitted that horse owners had been touched by the postponement because they had long prepared their horses for the event, but concurred that the outbreak was beyond their control.

He said some stated that the July 19 date may disadvantage them as they had other commitments, while some were registered to participate in other races. On the positive side,

Tshotlako said the postponement would give them enough time to prepare and look for more sponsors to make the event more glamorous.

One of the local horse owners, Gopolang Gabonatsela admitted that the postponement was a drawback, as made efforts preparing horses for the event.

He said taking care of horses was costly, as they had to train, feed and keep them in stables, but appreciated that the situation was beyond the organisers’ control and that they should adhere to measures in place to fight the pandemic.

Mascom has been sponsoring the event for 14 years now. ENDS