ALI MPHAKI
ENOS Mafokate is a worried man ahead of today’s “petition” meeting to discuss the future of his equestrian centre in Rockville after residents demanded that it be closed.
Some residents had complained of flies, rats and a stench emanating from the centre at Elkah Stadium. They said they can no longer open windows or have a meal outside their homes.
City of Joburg member of the mayoral committee for social development Christine Walters was expected to attend.
Mafokate said he applied to use the facility to build the first equestrian centre in Soweto (the first in any township) after it had been standing idle for 15 years. The centre, opened in 2007, has offered horseriding lessons to more than 700 children and boasts two national showjumping titles, won in the past two years.
Mafokate said they train 60 children for showjumping and it would be a travesty for the centre to close.
He said that for a long time he was the only African in the sport, and history enjoined him to encourage and help others to further break racial barriers and take part in the mostly lily-white sport.
“When we first came here, the place was abandoned and not in use. As you can see, our stables are clean, and unlike the horses used by coal merchants in the township, ours are clean and are regularly vaccinated.
“And it is not true that our horses are likely to infect the community, as there is no such thing as horses infecting people,” he added.
Mafokate blamed illegal dumping by residents on the facility’s boundary as the chief cause of flies and rats.
Likely to bring a cheer to Mafokate is a report by a group of private environmentalists who visited the centre on Saturday and were impressed by its cleanliness and its much-needed role, especially for children.
Among the environmentalists who visited the centre were Marian Laserson, Helen Aron and local resident Dan Sihlangu.
Laserson said that although she sympathised with the petitioners’ gripes, her assessment was that these were not the result of the horses, but occurred because of illegal dumping.
On the issue of the local residents’ children not being able to play on the site, she said there was a great deal of open space in the vicinity, some of it well tended by City Parks, and that the children did not need to use the riding school’s space. She added that most of the property was wetland and unsuitable for development and construction of buildings.
“A horseriding centre is an ideal use for the property. Paul Fairall, a wetland expert, told me that horses are in no way detrimental to wetlands,” she said.
Laserson added it appeared that Mafokate was highly experienced in the care of horses.
“He cleans the property regularly and cares for the horses in the prescribed manner. I am no expert, but the horses looked to me to be very healthy and well cared for. We inspected the concrete palisade fence, which is broken because it was erected on the edge of a small stream. However, there is illegal dumping of trash in the stream and on the boundary of the site. In general, the horseriding centre appears to be a much-needed facility, especially for children,” she said.