Soweto Equestrian Centre founder Enos Mafokate shows some love to one of his horses. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
Mafokate travels at least 56km every day to Soweto where he educates thousands of children and employs local talent. “Years later, I got this establishment and it was in shambles. There was only one building here, windows were shattered and there was a foul stench. But my vision was always clear,” he says. He bagged some sponsors and the rest, as they say, is history.
The farm nurtured his love for animals and he remembers his intrigue every time white people rode horses, while he couldn’t. In 1962, aged 16, and as a groom for the horses of professional show jumpers, he got his first shot at competitive show jumping when his employer decided to let the black grooms compete against one another.“They took me with no warning that I would be showing. I was wearing worn-out overalls and gumboots and went out looking like that, and I won the tournament,” he laughs.
“I was fighting the oppression which said black people couldn’t ride. It took me 40 years to be able to ride in Pretoria alongside white people. It was hard. I fought hard against oppression and was often insulted and called names for wanting equality.”Despite the odds, 1977 was the prime of Mafokate’s career. He was becoming a show jumping favourite and was known for his poise, confidence and skill.
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