The arrogance of Phumelela in failing to respond to the public outrage at the felling of the historic trees that were a part of the Kenilworth skyline for as long as most of us real racing people can remember, sends a message about the real character of the ‘men’ that rule the game today, writes Chris Payne in the Sporting Post Mailbag.
How dare they make a decision of this nature, allegedly to appease a sponsor so I read on social media. And then without even placing it into the public domain?
Arrogance is too kind a word to describe the individual/s who made the call.
But the buck-passing and silence that has followed in the aftermath tells the real story of who we are dealing with.
I hear the decision was made ‘in Johannesburg’.
Who actually runs racing in the Cape?
Who will have the balls to stand up and say ‘I gave the order’, and the reasons are xy and z?
I read Robyn Louw’s article today –Red Faces and Blue Gums – and found that the usually robust journalist was a touch kinder than she usually is.
But read the names and consider the credentials of the people that have expressed their sentiment on facebook. They are not phantoms. They are real people. People who appear in racecards as breeders and owners.
We visit South Africa every year and have noted the change in the morale and the spirit and atmosphere on the track. It’s not the same place that was a no-brainer for us 30 years ago.
The decision to fell the trees – right or wrong – just shows the lack of empathy and great divide between the powers-that-be and the people that make the game. What were they thinking? Did they believe that we wouldn’t notice – or do they just not care? No prizes for picking the right answer.
The days of good genuine leaders with horses and people at heart, of the ilk of Hymie Maisel and Rodney Dunn, are truly gone forever.
Hopefully the wood will be put to some good use – I recall reading here at home that eco -friendly coffins were being made from bluegums.
There has to be some symbolism in that!
