On Tuesday the various entities in South African racing announced the appointment of a ‘Special Task Team’.
While the principle is sound, the faceless and anonymous approach again suggests a lack of leadership and a will to take responsibility.
A reader, ‘Racing Veteran’, has written to the Sporting Post mailbag and taken issue with the most recent press release.
He writes that the time has come for the ‘leaders’ in racing to wake up and smell the coffee.
I hope the 21 days they are going to spend in isolation, will give them time to reflect, think long and hard about why racing is in its current position and if they are honest with themselves, will realise that they are largely responsible for the problems in racing and have so far shown nothing in their formlines to suggest that they are able or capable of sorting out the situation.
Who are the members of this task team? Why no names?
Surely if one is part of the fact-finding solution seekers, one would want to put your name to it.
There needs to be accountability firstly for any action taken and held liable if they fail. The flipside of course is being acknowledgement and rewarded if they succeed.
Once again it will more than likely be the same old same old who continue on their merry way, driven by self gain and vested interest.
Had we been told an independent task team has been commissioned with, let’s say a retired judge at the helm, then there was hope for the industry. At least there would have some sort of credibility. Now it’s just an anonymous spokesperson looking for the usual pie in the sky. Heaven help us!
And does the task team honestly think government will give them the time of day?
Does this task team think government will even consider any of their recommendations under the current circumstances we are facing?
Is this task team even representative of all spheres of the industry?
Who is controlling the mandate of this task team with proper sound governance in place?
Does this task team think government will talk to the very people that have itigation pending, just because they felt entitled to tax, that the government has put back into the fiscus?
Let’s just be honest for a moment.
All this cleverly worded drivel that they regurgitate as press releases, is nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
I predict that a cure for COVID-19 will be found, way before they even think they are going to get anywhere near any of their goals. They couldn’t do it in better times – why in these awful trying times for society?
If for one moment, as a non-essential service they are hoping to get special dispensation to continue operating training centres during lockdown, then i will hunt the Easter bunny until i find him.
21 days of just feeding and watering horses, will result in another month before they fit again and racing can resume. That takes us to end of May.
Reality is staring cold faced at the leaders of this industry. Yet they continue as if its business as usual.
Racing is now officially on its knees.
Racing can ill afford this final shutdown body blow.
Racing deserves the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
And there is no better time than today!
