South Africa’s first black show jumper, Enos Mafokate has a deep love for horses.
He started life off as a groom at a horseback riding school while he was still just a school boy.
Mafokate later went on to work for the SPCA where his love and passion for horses grew even more.
Mafokate is the father of the King of Kwaito, Arthur Mafokate.
He bought his first horse for R700, and started a show jumping school in Soweto.
Mafokate was once invited by Queen Elizabeth to perform a show jumping spectacle, and won his first competition when riding abroad. His connection with the British royal family didn’t end there – he was visited by Princess Anne, who “could not believe black people could perform on horseback, let alone run stables in Soweto”, he said.
“I love Soweto and I would not move anywhere else,” Mafokate said.
“I did what I could under the circumstances at the time,” referring to apartheid, “but now I encourage the youth who now have so many more opportunities to grab them with both hands.”
Mafokate will soon be escorting a group of eight young vaulting riders to Germany in July 2022, where he will be honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his 42 years spent in equestrian sport.
“I want to leave behind a legacy of professional sportsmen and women whose success is rooted in Soweto.”
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