20 Jul 2022

 Local authorities have been advised to take advantage of opportunities arising from horse racing to drive local economic development.
Such will assist government to reduce poverty, Vice President Slumber Tsogwane has said.
Speaking during the Houmoed Kokotsha horse racing on Monday, Tsogwane challenged the community to harness natural resources in their area.
He said horse racing presented value chains that could be exploited to create sustainable and decent livelihoods.
Value chains, he said, ranged from equipment such as bridles, hackamores, halters or head collars as well as saddles and leather processing among others.
He said value chain development focused on promoting job creation and thus implored communities to commercialise horse rearing for the said motive, adding horses were increasingly becoming a precious resource.
The vice president said those who lived  on the margins of the society such as the poor, women and the youth were bedevilled by lack of employment and income opportunities.
He said horse racing ingenuity was in line with the local economic development framework, which empowered communities to explore local resources and exploit the value chain development to improve the standard and quality of life.
The Vice President said there was a consensus that the local economic development approach provided opportunities to diversify the sources of income and sustain inclusive economic growth.
The vice president also had an opportunity to attend the Kokotsha Community Horse race.
He implored the organisers to merge the events as the races were a unifying factor for communities and proposed that there should be a grand final where winners from the two races would compete.
The organisers of the two horse racing events Messrs Kabo Medupe of Kokotsha Community Horse racing and Mr Hermanus Titus of Houmoed Kokotsha horse racing July derby 2022 edition agreed to come to the table in the near future with a view of bringing the event under one roof.Ivan Dekoek of Kalahari horse men stable from Tsabong pocketed P20 000 in position one in the grand race of 2 400 metres of the Houmoed Kokotsha horse racing July derby 2022 edition.
Oteng Vissagie of Takatokwane won the second position with P15 000 in the same category while Timon and Josephine Kelebeng of TT Horse Racing Stable went home P11 000 richer in the third position.
Kabo Medupe of Kokotsha dominated the Kokotsha Community Horse racing competition as his horses Desert Lady and King Dutes won both position one and three, pocketing P20 000 and  P10 000 respectively.
Position two went to Pasela Mothibe of Ghanzi whose horse ‘Double Trouble’ made him P15 000 wealthier. ENDS