Dear Dineo, let's fix inhumane living conditions at Turffontein by Summer Cup Day
12 October 2014
I would like to thank Dineo Moeketsi, the face of Johannesburg's most prestigious horse race - the Sansui Summer Cup - for her agreement to find a solution to the inhumane living conditions of workers at Turffontein race course.
I wrote to Dineo this week asking that she join me in solidarity with over 400 grooms at the race course who are forced to live in the most inhumane conditions.
Dineo has said in the media today that she is prepared to seek solutions to the grooms living conditions as the face of the race course's upcoming major event.
This week, my colleagues Solly Malatsi and Paul Willemberg and I inspected the grooms living quarters and were disturbed and shocked at the inhumane living conditions the grooms live in, in fact the horses live better than the grooms who work there.
We were informed by the grooms that 400 share two toilets and are forced to share a room with up to ten people. Furthermore, many of the grooms are forced to sleep on the concrete floors or wooden boards as there are no beds made available. Many have become fatally ill due to unhygienic conditions. Some grooms are even forced to sleep with horses in the stables.
This situation compelled me to write to Dineo as the face of an upcoming major event at this race course, the Sansui Summer Cup.
I asked her to support me in making sure that the grooms get the living conditions they deserve by the time this event takes place on 29 November. I have also made a commitment to the grooms that we will fight for their conditions to be upgraded as a first priority before the Summer Cup takes place.
The sport of Horse Racing recently rebranded in South Africa under the slogan "Racing - it's a rush". The aim of this rebranding is to attract younger, diverse, South Africans to race courses on big days like the Durban July, J&B Met and Summer Cup.
But if horse racing wants to become more appealing to young South Africans, it must walk the talk by eradicating all discrimination in the sport.
The role of grooms is central to the success of South Africa's best race horses, with workers developing very close relationships and concern for the well-being of these incredible animals.
It cannot be right that grooms at Turffontein race course live in worse conditions than the champion racehorses they invest so much time and care in.
I trust that with Dineo's help, we can ensure the authorities fix these conditions so that horse racing's new brand direction can succeed without any hypocrisy.
I look forward to honouring the commitment to groomsmen at Turffontein that, by Summer Cup Day, the sun will indeed shine on the sport of horse racing.
Statement issued by Phumzile Van Damme MP, DA National Spokesperson, October 12 2014
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