Latest news with #Nokwe
Daily Maverick
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
NSPCA takes aim at Durban July and cruelty in SA's horse racing industry
A new campaign to clean up South Africa's horse racing industry started with a fashion statement that shocked glamorous guests at the country's premier horse race. The Durban July held last weekend was South Africa's most glamorous day of racing — a swirl of high fashion, Champagne flutes and big bets. Amid the spectacle, actress and activist Nirvana Nokwe stepped on to the red carpet dressed not to dazzle, but to disturb. Draped in an unsettling art piece paying tribute to racehorses abandoned and broken when they're no longer profitable, Nokwe's striking look was a wake-up call: the 'sport of kings' is built on suffering. Her bold statement launched the National Council of SPCAs' (NSPCA's) Rein in the Pain campaign — a challenge to the Durban July's glossy image and a call for South Africans to confront the cruelty that lurks behind the roar of the crowd. 'This isn't just about what happens on race day,' said Nokwe. 'It's about what we don't see — the tongue-ties, the brutal whipping, the strained tendons, the fractured legs, the bleeding lungs. Fashion can make a statement, and this one says: It's time to change.' The dark truth According to the NSPCA, behind the turf tracks, mint juleps and TV cameras is a brutal system. Thoroughbreds — the sleek, high-speed horses synonymous with the Durban July — are bred for explosive performance. They can hit 60km/h in just a few strides, but that speed often comes at the cost of broken bones, strained ligaments and shortened lives. Many horses begin racing before their skeletons are fully developed, leaving them prone to injuries that force early retirement, or worse. 'These magnificent animals are being silenced by a system that too often places profit above their welfare,' said Jacques Peacock, NSPCA communications manager. 'Tradition can't excuse cruelty.' Every year, the South African racing industry registers around 2,000 new thoroughbred foals, adding to a population of about 30,000. Only a fraction of these will ever make it to the big racecourses. Many of those that do will be cast aside when they stop winning — and their new lives are often far from the manicured paddocks they once knew. The 'lost horses' While some racehorses have second careers in showjumping or leisure riding, a disturbing number simply vanish. A Daily Maverick investigation into the thoroughbred world revealed that thousands slip into a welfare black hole when they no longer earn. Some end up in slaughterhouses, their meat sold for lion parks or game reserves. Many more fall into the unregulated world of 'bush racing', where abandoned racehorses are flogged to race for small stakes or illegal bets on potholed dirt roads and tarred township streets. In these informal races, dubbed 'community racing', the cruelty can be staggering. Saddles are often ill-fitted or non-existent, bits are replaced with wire that tears mouths, and exhausted horses collapse from injuries or overwork. When the NSPCA inspected an Eastern Cape race, they found more than 100 ex-thoroughbreds, many with injuries so severe they had to be euthanised on the spot. 'They used to be pampered, treated better than most humans,' said an NSPCA inspector. 'Now they're tossed away like old shoes at a jumble sale.' Racing's shaky foundations While informal bush racing booms, formal thoroughbred racing in SA is on the decline. Since 1990, the number of horses starting races has dropped by nearly a third. In 2022, when we did the investigation, half of the country's racecourses had shut down, and the number of breeders and stud farms had plummeted by more than 80%. Once a lucrative spectacle, thoroughbred racing now survives largely thanks to betting houses and bookies, who rake in billions while owners struggle to cover the spiralling costs of raising and training a winning horse. 'You have to be wealthy to own racehorses, but you're not likely to get wealthy racing them,' said an owner. 'You're lucky if a win covers a few months' stabling costs.' Yet the real losers aren't the owners — they're the horses. The NSPCA argues that the racing industry's obsession with breeding and speed is producing more animals than it can or will care for. And once these horses leave the formal tracks, the National Horseracing Authority (NHRA) admits it has almost no power to track what happens to them next. Bush racing pipeline From the plush paddocks of the Durban July to the dusty roads of rural racing, a hidden pipeline funnels discarded thoroughbreds straight into a world of unchecked suffering. Some are sold or simply given away when they can't win any more. Others are bought up by owners who lack the knowledge — or the resources — to care for such high-maintenance animals. 'The big problem is thoroughbreds,' says Stanley Adam of the Eastern Cape Horse Care Unit. 'They're like Ferraris — you can't take a Ferrari and drive it down a gravel road and expect it to blossom.' Traditional racing is deeply woven into rural life. For some, it's a point of pride, a cultural celebration. But the lack of regulation can leave horses exposed to horrific injuries, doping, malnutrition and abuse. And unlike formal races, there are rarely vets on site and no accountability. However, the NSPCA's Farm Animal Protection Unit tries to inspect every informal or community race that takes place in SA. 'We rely on donations and used to do inspections as far up as Kuruman,' said Theresa Hodgkinson of the Highveld Horse Care Unit. 'But funding dried up. Now we see more thoroughbreds sold into informal racing — and many are in terrible condition.' A roadmap for change The NSPCA's Rein in the Pain campaign isn't just about raising awareness — it's about fixing a system that, in the organisation's view, is built to fail the animals at its heart. It has drafted clear, practical amendments to the NHRA's rules, setting a minimum standard for change. Key demands include: Banning performance-enhancing drugs and masking agents used to push injured horses through races; Phasing out harmful equipment like tongue ties by the end of this year; Completely banning whips by 2029 — with strict limits and schooling for jockeys in the interim; Ensuring that horses are microchipped by six months old and properly tracked from birth to retirement and beyond; Prohibiting racing horses under three years old to prevent premature skeletal damage; and Enforcing lifetime care and accountability, with criminal charges and lifetime bans for repeat offenders. 'These reforms are the bare minimum,' said Peacock. 'They're not exhaustive, but they're a start. This is about public trust — people need to see the industry take real responsibility for the animals that make it possible.' For the NSPCA, the real test will be whether ordinary South Africans demand this change. It's calling on the public to sign its petition at and to hold racing's big players accountable for the animals behind the betting slips and fancy hats. 'Our goal is simple,' says Peacock. 'We want the industry to stop pretending that window-dressing measures and paltry fines are enough. It's time for meaningful change — and it starts with every one of us saying, 'Enough is enough.'' DM
TimesLIVE
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
Nirvana Nokwe 'prioritising music' after graduation
Nirvana Nokwe is gearing up to make waves in the music scene after recently graduating from the Academy of Sound Engineering. While studying in the television and screen arts division when she first enrolled, Nokwe also got to engage with students who did music. 'It was a beautiful intersection between my music and my filmmaking work. I was studying to be behind the camera. I just started creating really strong relationships with people in the sound division and they called me in to be a part of their projects. I didn't exist in just one space,' she told TshisaLIVE. She will soon release a single called Mama with Master KG and Goon Flavour as they launch their upcoming EP. 'It's been so amazing collaborating with them. They featured me on one of their songs. This song is such a beautiful compliment to what's happening in my life. Mama is a song that's so close to my heart, especially now, because books before boys — because boys bring babies. 'This song is about me thanking uMama for supporting me and helping me keep focused, not me giving my life, faith, and destiny away to boys, now that I'm graduating. I'm just so grateful to my mother. My mother really taught me to prioritise myself before love and is always giving me advice about love and dating. She's always telling me to have a life and have a strong connection with God first.' While Nokwe is used to dominating the screens, she'll soon be on the airwaves as she returns to her first love. 'I am really prioritising my music this year. I'm really putting in a lot of effort into music, and working on my own stuff.' Beyond the limelight, Nokwe wears many hats. In 2024 she launched the Connect Supper Club, which provides a platform for inspiring discussions, networking and collaboration, paired with fine dining and a sophisticated ambience.
The Citizen
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Mbalula calls for unity at Memorial Lecture
VEREENIGING – ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula fired up the Vereeniging Civic Hall on May 13 as he delivered the highly anticipated Duma Nokwe Memorial Lecture. The event attracted party members from all walks of life, dressed in regalia to honour Nokwe's legacy. Nokwe was a struggle veteran who served as the ANC's secretary-general from 1958 to 1969. He died in exile in Zambia in 1978, during the height of apartheid. In September 2024, Nokwe's remains, along with those of 48 other freedom fighters, were returned from Zambia and Zimbabwe. Delivering his keynote address, Mbalula said the gathering was more than a lecture, it was a call for action. 'Though small in spirit, he [Nokwe] was a giant whose political perspective embraced all humanity. Although Nokwe lived a short life, he left behind a big mirror that will forever help those who heed to navigate their challenges with resilience and fortitude,' he said. Mbalula did not hold back, using the platform to deliver punches as he warned against corruption and internal party battles. 'Corruption, poor service delivery, arrogance, and social distance are perceptions that engulf our daily politics. It is very easy to be in opposition, but difficult to govern,' Mbalula added. 'Let us not make it easy for our opponents to destroy us by looking inwardly and slaughtering ourselves from within. Let us not celebrate divisions within our organisation,' he said as the hall clapped and screamed 'bua' speak. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
17-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
WATCH LIVE: President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks at funeral of late ANC SG Dumalisile Nokwe
ANC stalwart Nokwe passed away in Zambia in 1978. President Cyril Ramaphosa will pay tribute to former ANC secretary-general Advocate Dumalisile Philemon Pearce Nokwe at a Special Provincial Official Funeral on Saturday. Nokwe, who had lived in exile since 1963, passed away in Zambia in 1978. His remains were repatriated to South Africa last year. He will be buried, along with his wife Mrs Vuyiswa Malangabi-Nokwe, on Saturday at West Park Cemetery in Johannesburg, Gauteng. Ramaphosa this week honoured Nokwe with a posthumous honorary title of Senior Counsel (Silk) for the Republic of South Africa. 'The posthumous honour bestowed on the first African advocate of the Supreme Court is a high honour that recognises Adv Nokwe's expertise and contribution to the legal profession,' the government said. The president was among several high-profile dignitaries at the funeral, including current ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi. From prison to ANC position and exile According to the government, Nokwe, who was born in 1927, obtained a BSc degree from the University of Fort Hare and a diploma in education. He was arrested and imprisoned during the 1952 Defiance Campaign, which led to his dismissal by the Transvaal Education Department. He later studied law, obtained an LLB degree and became the first black advocate to be admitted to the Johannesburg Society of Advocates. A visit to the 1953 World Youth Festival, the Soviet Union, China, and Britain led to his receiving a travel ban from the South African government. Further restrictions were placed upon him, and the then Native Affairs Department debarred him from taking chambers with his white colleagues in the Johannesburg city centre. He was put on trial for treason, arrested, and assaulted by police. He was elected ANC secretary-general in 1958 and mobilised communities against apartheid until the underground leadership directed him to leave South Africa in January 1963. NOW WATCH: PAC co-founder Edwin Letsholo Makoti's official funeral
eNCA
14-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Nokwe to be reburied at West Park cemetery
JOHANNESBURG - This weekend the ANC will re-bury the remains of the former Secretary General of the Party, Duma Nokwe. The reburial in Johannesburg will be addressed by the ANC President, Cyril Ramaphosa, and other senior leaders. Nokwe was the first African advocate of the Supreme Court and he became a powerful voice in the struggle against apartheid. In 1963 he began a life in exile and from Zambia he served as the ANC's Director of International Affairs. Nokwe died in Lusaka in 1978 at the age of only 50 after struggling with his health. For decades he remained buried in exile but his remains were repatriated to South Africa last year.
