Randji Strike

Louis thanks for kind words..there is no doubt in my mind that much of the latest racing protests are politically initiated. I saw with my own eyes at Turffontein last Saturday 10m from where I was a political party with a huge banner had locked and was protecting the 2 gates. There were many employees (some I recognised) who were just standing near the gate with arms folded and angry they could not get into work. There was nothing they could do, but it was clear that they were irritated they could not get into their place of employment.

I take it the same is happening with much of the groom protests and I would rather believe that the grooms would rather negotiate any issues they have directly with those trainers who may not be adhering to all the minimum benefits if there are any of them. Grooms are like all the stakeholders valuable to racing, and I can tell you they love their horses they manage like their own as you would know far better than any other non-trainer. We all know how and why horse racing came under the spotlight to a political party and that was unfortunate, however now needs to be managed.

My issue is that bold management of all these demands needs to be initiated with creative minds working together with the grooms and any other "racing" employees involved, and this is not seen to be happening by other stakeholders in the industry. Whether its happening or not the process needs to be communicated regularly on. A committee needs to be appointed by the racing operators/NHA with experienced leadership in this regard, who have clear mandates to sort all these problems out equitably for all. Horse Racing in SA is really at a cross roads now, and certain facts (even if they are fables) need to be accepted, addressed and fixed cleverly. Protesting, dropping betting turnovers, lower attendance, reduction of owners, outstanding training fees, weak stake increases, the general view that racing is fixed and its a waste of money betting on horses etc etc are just symptoms of the way racing is viewed and managed in my opinion, and this needs to be fixed. It needed to be fixed years ago but has lingered on whilst the country has changed and racing has just stayed the same. Racing purist concept is not a commercial one unfortunately anymore, just like 5 day cricket tests don't pull the crowds and money as opposed to the 50 overs or 20-20 versions. That does not however mean that racing purist concepts must make way for new approaches, it just needs to be interwoven with new approaches.

Many industries have forged their way through challenges like this and with good management so can horse racing in SA. We all now know where the money is going, and we all now know the "disconnects" between different management structures. It is far easier as a management team to be reactive rather than proactive, and proactiveness is the major requirement right now in racing to understand and engage issues which are real, basic issues like for example how much is the minimum that a groom should be paid per hour to attend to the needs of the horses under his/her responsibility together with the rest of the team? To contrast this, how does a Vet determine his/her rate per hour attending to horses under his/her responsibility?..and in saying that I have not seen a Racing Vet protest yet, which means that they must be happy.

So in my opinion ALL these issues, obviously those on the ground take priority, need to be addressed proactively by leaders who understand the many nuances in the horse racing industry as part of a team to take racing forwards in a far better state than it is now in SA, with the clear understanding that tote turnover is NOT the only gauge by which to measure the well-being of the industry, there are many many other measurements that also need to be taken into account.

....some of us are going no where ....why should we....so the game is getting pretty heated ...some thing could/should/ would have been done about using the Racing Trust gravy to start with up liftment of grooms and begin to show some sort of effort towards transformation....but instead it is hi jacked....and used to spin gravy for the share holders and other beneficiaries of P.....so be it....we are going to see the frogs start to hop when it really gets hot..... :whistle:

oscar wrote:
The issue is that management of all these demands needs to be initiated with creative minds working together (not a creative bone in anybody unless there is a bonus ) It needed to be fixed years ago but has lingered on whilst the country has changed and racing has just stayed the same. Exactly.... :blink:

Oscar you have really written a good piece here.....however you and others here.... have lauded and applauded those very people that got into positions that had the power to do right(but after all this time did not perform..... but still pull down the big bucks).....this site is full of threads and posts...... some for and some against the appointment of these people to those positions....now its history...do you honestly think that they are going to now change their spots....a well known fable.... is that the predator cannot..... :whistle:

We certainly have a problem with racing but my recent concerns are with the entire country and the apparent lack of action from our new president ( which at the time i thought was the best choice of a bad bunch)

I fully understand the cry of "poor service delivery" and the constant power cuts due to cable theft and poor management.


The latest protest of actually burning tyres and throwing them off bridges on to on coming motorists, is way beyong reasonable protest and closer to attempted murder.

So RACING as in all other industries has to come to the party and make some urgent, meaningful corrective action plans.

Certainly no easy answers but unless something changes we will all go to the DOGS ( and cheaper than horses)

Good punting whilst you can.

louisg wrote: Bob
Grooms do 3 horses and have done so for more than 50 years in most racing yards. In some Overseas Countries, most grooms do 5 horses.
It's about hours.
Point is that the grooms have now encountered a red light to their unrealistic demands. Right now there are many experienced grooms going around looking for work. That is a reflection of the whole Country, the Economy. Racing in SA is no different. Phumelela were completely wrong and stupid to have engaged with EFF in the first place. Suddenly, when their Tote tellers become the next victims, they wake up and now get Court orders and now refuse to deal with "political parties".
The boyz at Vaal never took their Sh@t and had own Security on standby, with water canons etc. EFF left quietly...

The so called unreasonable, bad for racing hard liners are Vaal were right all along...it seems, based on Phum's new reaction.

Common sense should prevail. THERE IS NO WORK OUT THERE for people with qualifications, let alone for rural people, with no education, cannot read and write, cannot speak English and have no qualifications.

We have all given good increases and a few of us have gone out of our way for our staff. This is exemplary in a tired economy. Somebody needs to talk some sense into the grooms heads instead of inciting them. There is NO MORE MONEY AVAILABLE. Definitely not whilst "the great white hope" Cyril , idly sits and watches the Country self destruct, not saying a word and not acting at all.

Racing died years ago when you, like many others, turned a blind eye to what was happening in racing and chose short term gains over long term sustainability. Its simple economics now, no more money is available because it got drained over many years and there is now no way to reach equilibrium without a massive downsizing of the industry. Greedy or Complacent - can describe 95% of people in racing with one of those two words over the last 10 years. Also, there's a lot of scenarios you can blame the government but this is not one of them - but hey defend Jooste and the boys to the very end

Muhtiman wrote:

oscar wrote:
The issue is that management of all these demands needs to be initiated with creative minds working together (not a creative bone in anybody unless there is a bonus ) It needed to be fixed years ago but has lingered on whilst the country has changed and racing has just stayed the same. Exactly.... :blink:

Oscar you have really written a good piece here.....however you and others here.... have lauded and applauded those very people that got into positions that had the power to do right(but after all this time did not perform..... but still pull down the big bucks).....this site is full of threads and posts...... some for and some against the appointment of these people to those positions....now its history...do you honestly think that they are going to now change their spots....a well known fable.... is that the predator cannot..... :whistle:

The piece by oscar imo one of the best ever written on these pages (and I'm not saying that just because I have been privileged to be entertained in the box on occasion).

As regarding fables ..... there is one about this colony of ants who had a fearless leader (in the Afrikaans version of the story I think he was called Pietertjie - but for the sake of this re-telling, let's just call him ANT - he performed many heroic deeds in the ant colony against all sorts of invasions - then one day an elephant trampled many of the colony - ANT called up his army and they linked themselves together and formed an 'ant chain' round the neck of the elephant and
the rest of the community spurred them on 'STRANGLE HIM ANT, STRANGLE HIM !!!' - the actual Afrikaans phrase being 'WURG HOM PIETERTJIE, WURG HOM !!!'

Well as I remember this tale did not have a happy ending (except for the elephant), let's hope it will be different in the case of our beloved industry and those that are trying to fight the good fight :huh:

....need to drag that elephant from the rooms or it will leave racing in ruins.... :whistle:

Missing Link - at least you are consistent in that you never let the facts spoil a good story. Keep it up, you are good for a laugh.

louisg wrote: Missing Link - at least you are consistent in that you never let the facts spoil a good story. Keep it up, you are good for a laugh.

Nothing personal, just calling it how it is. Looking forward to the racing fraternities views on Jooste when it comes out Mayfair was just funded by loans from offshore companies involved in the Steinhoff fraud and all those horse racing bills he paid was just out the pockets of ordinary South Africans. He esentially paid his bills with peoples pension money but hey don't let that fact spoil the story that he was good for racing.

Horse racings in good hands though, at creditors meetings Rian represented all those dodgy loans to Mayfair involved in the fraud but I'm sure there's nothing wrong with that and at the end of the day he really cares about racing and has your interests at heart. Don't mind me though, I'm sure what I'm saying isn't true, sure everything is will work out for everyone in the end

Muhti just to put that right and thanks.. I have NEVER been part of the club.. I have never ever voted agreed with applauded any of the people I feel need to move forward.

I keep to myself I don’t go much to the races except with the ABC boys and I never have even been offered a free ticket to anything in racing. Just so you understand clearly!

...Oscar this I know...yet the advancement of some in the P structure were also not really part of the club either.... :dry:

Oscar and Louis you two are typical of the owners in South Africa. Racing is a passion, its almost a hobby of sorts albeit an extremely expensive one. You guys dont need the aggrevation of politics whilst enjoying your sport. This however has enabled the thieves, primarily Jooste and his sidekicks to take over racing. Whilst there will invariably be the puffing up of indignent chests at this statement and as Oscar tells it, he never " supported " these thieves, the reality is in your silence you were complicit and allowed the capture of racing to take place.

So before the howls start, let me remind you that under Jooste who at one stage was a board member of the RA, Phumelela and a trustee of the Racing Trust, Jooste applied his vertical integration business model to racing and took control of the Ra, Phumelela and the NHA. The proof of my statement lies in the number of Steinhoff employees who were squirrelled into positions of power into these organisations. Len Konar, Larry Wainstein, Rian du Plessis, Steve Booysens, Lionel Lindsay, Roodt from Roodt Inc who was his lawyer and not a registered colour holder and yet a Racing Trust trustee. When affiliations are added and you include factions such as the Kantor Investec crowd that includes individuals like Mark Currie it is blatantly obvious that racing is captured. It is not debatable.

My point is that these guys are and were always accountable but were allowed to carry on unhindered. During this period the Stakes agreement, the lifeblood of local racing stakes went from a formal results based equation to a verbal agreement between the RA and Phumelela with members not being allowed sight of the new format. Confidentiality agreements were.put in place, conveniently, to fob off any dissenters. Amazingly, despite evidence to the contrary, this is now denied by the guilty parties. Funding of racing activities has also been subsidised by the proceeds from the RA ownership of Phumelela shares. Western Cape racing, that pathetic excuse for a business, was coveted and taken over by Jooste and his Stellenbosch mafia, and this again was paid for by Racing Trust funding. The joke of the Western Cape with out of season 6 horse fields as the norm received massive increases in stakes at the expense of their Gauteng counterparts who received little to none once the takeover happened. All with the support of the people put there to protect owners interests. Smell something? Its the rot that you guya have allowed by not having the backbone to challenge these changes.

Finally, the greatest insult to anyones intelligence was the sell off of Trust shares in Phumelea to pay for the acquisition of Supabets and at a price that all the fools that "invested" were unable to offload for a period and will be taking a bath. If it wasnt so pathetic it would be funny. The trust holding of Phumelela shares has diminished from 38% to 25% and we all sit on our hands and allow the raping of racing to continue. You Ra members are.so stupid you paid for the act.

There are many many more examples of how Jooste has manipulated racing for his own benefit. I wont even go into CTS. Who is to blame? You owners who said and did nothing. Its not enough to say I didnt support anyone the question is why were you silent?

Apologies I posted from my mobile so spelling and grammar will be dicey but Im pretty sure my message is clear. Suck it up you created it.