Jodi and Sue Pieters’ Precentor Place boasts 35 years of proud service as one of KZN’s leading Spelling and Pre-Training establishments.
It’s the chosen destination of many of our top trainers and owners – and works because a love of the horse, dedication to duty and professional attention to detail, are all in perfect synergy.
“We couldn’t do it without our staff,” says Jodi modestly as she chats to the Sporting Post from the scenic establishment in the heart of Drummond – emphasising that their top three team members have been with them for over twenty years.
“Our Head Groom Mthandeni ‘Alter’ Mdukulwane has been with us since he was 16 and couldn’t speak a word of English when he arrived. He is now our multi-skilled horseman, handyman and tractor driver, amongst a host of duties which he performs with dedication come rain or shine!”
The Bizana born Alter tells us that he has two sons and wants to get his eldest into the SA Jockey Academy.
Top team – Jodi and Alter
He explains proudly that Bizana is the birthplace of the late Winnie Mandela. We asked him to tell us about his life.
“I enjoyed playing soccer as a young boy but gave up when I injured my ankle. I lived with my Grandmother and only saw my Mom at weekends,” he reflects.
When asked about his formal education, he says that he dropped school in Grade 4.
“We needed the income and I started growing vegetables as a business. I would sell them to the local community. My brother worked at Precentor Place and I joined the team. I was only 16 at the time.”
Jodi interjects, explaining that their then Head Groom, Dimkos, lived in the same area and when he came back from leave, Alter was with him.
“It was announced that he now worked for us! He did not speak English and didn’t know anything about horses. When Dimkos passed away we needed someone to take over his responsibilities. Alter was always the person that wanted to learn. When we asked him why he was always the one wanting to learn new jobs, he would say he always wanted to learn more – in fact, learn everything. He never wanted to be asked to do something and to say ‘I can’t’,” she explains proudly.
Alter adds that he works as the Head Groom and helps to manage the other staff.
“I am part of the backing team. I back between 70 to 80 horses a season and am also the Head Rider. I also oversee the maintenance of the property by driving the tractor and I do the maintenance work.”
He says the hardest part of the job for him is backing the babies, but that he still enjoys it. He then switches to telling us about his youngest son Lwazi Ndaba.
“I am hoping to send him to the jockey academy at Summerveld. He is only 10 years old and lives with his mother and father at their home in Cliffdale. He goes to the local school called Mthombohle Primary.”
When pressed as to why he is keen to try and set his son up as a professional jockey, Alter says he is keen to give him a better life than he has had. He wants to do this for him while he’s still alive and able to.
“Most children go to school, finish and then sadly do nothing. Maybe if I had realised earlier that horses could give you a better life, I might be a jockey today!” he smiles broadly.
Alter and his budding jockey son, Lwazi
Jodi says that they have contacted the Jockey Academy and have been told that Lwazi first needs to reach the qualification age of 15 and have passed grade 10.
“This is now something for us all to work towards in the meantime. Precentor Place will welcome Lwazi to come to the farm during school holidays to learn more about the horses and to learn how to ride. This should put him in good standing when the time comes for him to start at the academy,” she concludes.
In the meantime, life goes on – they are busy and expecting more horses after next week’s National 2yo Sale in Johannesburg.
“We have really tried to sacrifice on margins as our way of reinvesting back into building this great industry and all stakeholders. We have all had a rough 2020. We now need to pull together and rebuild. We are offering wonderful discounts and a sliding scale tariff if the owner or trainer has more than one horse with us,” she says.
Jodi invited interested parties to call or email her or click on the image below for more
- 071 171 7502
- [email protected]
