There’s no point in crying over another setback for the sport of kings.
Just when we thought that the implosion of the empire of an all-conquering owner in December 2017 was the end of the world, 2020 has brought brand new challenges for horseracing.
It’s probably better to smile and move on into the slightly reduced environs of lockdown level 4 today and concentrate on staying safe.
NHA CEO Vee Moodley – a tough week or three
On Monday we were informed that the Ministers and the National Coronavirus Command Council would be deliberating horseracing’s submission to get back on track ‘over the next 48 hours and an outcome was hoped for on or before 30 April’.
Yesterday we learnt that Kenilworth’s racemeeting scheduled for today had been scrapped and there was now no definitive timeline for feedback.
The Coronavirus Command Council have apparently received in excess of 77 000 applications and from 800 businesses.
Once upon a time everybody wanted Vee Moodley’s job.
Yesterday we all felt like telling him he can keep it.
The racing regulator’s CEO was always on a hiding to nothing,
If he had somehow gotten the go ahead, nobody would have mentioned his name in lights.
Now that we are in limbo, everybody’s questioning his timing of the cart before the horse – scheduling racing before gaining approval – and whether Mr Moodley and the NHA actually has any sympathetic ear in the Union Buildings.
And as for the task force – ja, well that’s another story.
But horseracing is not the only industry/sport a touch hard done by and maybe we are realistically looking at a shift to level 3 before anything happens?
Fin24 reports that many people wanted hairdressers and beauty therapists to be opened.
But Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is on record saying that at this point it is not possible because with those kinds of services ‘the person is close’.
‘There is no social distancing. We heard you but we can’t allow it at this point. It is too risky. But what we have added is products for foot and hair and manicures so that you can do it at home,” she said.
“Maybe the hairdressers can open online with lessons for how people can do their hair?” she suggested.
To the chagrin of smokers and drinkers, government also backtracked on an earlier proposal to allow cigarette sales.
Dlamini-Zuma argued that both smoking and drinking went against the principles of physical distancing. ”
Very few people enjoy drinking alone. They want to drink with other people,” she said wisely.
Liquor – even homemade – is not allowed, even if one sells and distributes it from home.
Cracking down on alcohol frees police to “do what they need to do” and allows hospitals to take care of emergencies and people who are sick with “all sorts of other illnesses including Covid”, Dlamini-Zuma argued.
She also said smoking encouraged the spread of the virus, and that some 2 000 people had objected to the proposed reintroduction of the sale of cigarettes.
“The ways that tobacco is shared does not encourage social distancing,” she claimed.
“What do you call it – like a zol,” she said. “Sometimes when [smokers roll a] zol they put saliva on the paper, then they share it,” she added.
Hotels and guest houses are not allowed except for quarantine or essential services, while restaurants will not yet be open as usual.
Hot food may only be sold online, and only deliveries and takeaways are allowed. Opening hours will be 9h00 to 19h00.
