Enos Mafokate, South Africa’s first Black show jumping champion, dies at 80
Summary
Enos Mafokate, the first Black South African show jumping champion, has died at 80. He overcame racial barriers during apartheid, competed internationally, and later taught riding to young people in Soweto.Key Facts
- Enos Mafokate was South Africa’s first Black show jumping champion.
- He won his first competition in 1963 but faced racial restrictions until 1975.
- In 1980, he was the first Black South African man to compete internationally in show jumping, placing fifth at the Royal International Horse Show.
- After apartheid ended, he was recognized as a sports ambassador at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
- Mafokate started as a stablehand and became known as "Kgosi ya Dipere," meaning "King of Horses" in Sesotho.
- He founded the Soweto Equestrian Centre in 2006 to train young riders and promote animal care.
- In 2015, he received a lifetime achievement award at the South African Sport Awards.
- His life symbolized breaking racial barriers in horse riding during a time of segregation in South Africa.
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