The reasons behind the protest vary somewhat between publications, but the most commonly-cited factor is that grooms were standing in solidarity with a groom that had been fired from the yard of trainer Yvette Bremner months earlier-some publications citing that the groom in question had been fired for stabbing a horse.

The SA Police Service tweeted that 150 to 200 protestors had freed 28 horses at the racecourse on Thursday. The Sunday Times reported that one horse died as a result of being stabbed while others were injured in that manner; industry publication SAH Racing, however, reported that one horse died as a result of injuries sustained after running into a fence.

Racehorse owner Michael de Haast told Sunday Times, “We want action now. We are calling on all trainers and other yards to stop all racing immediately until [racing authority] Phumelela take responsibility for what is happening and protect these horses. What is worrying is that the trainer at this yard is a woman and she is being threatened with physical violence if she tries to protect the horses. Gender-based violence, a scourge in our country, is able to rear its ugly head in this situation too. Something has to be done.”

“It is a very sad day in this country when innocent animals are slaughtered and abused due to greed and hate. As Gandhi said: ‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated’–and I fear that our nation has lost its way unless we take a very big stand against this.”

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