SOUTH AFRICA South Africa’s richest family gives horseracing a lifeline 5 years ago Iwo Bulski Post Views: 739 South Africa’s fastest horses may not be racing, but a branch of the country’s richest family is pumping money into the industry so that when punters are allowed to return to the track, there will be horses to bet on. Phumelela Gaming & Leisure Ltd., the nation’s biggest horseracing company, will be receiving a 100 million-rand ($5.5 million) lifeline from Mary Oppenheimer Daughters Pty Ltd. after the racetrack owner filed for a local form of bankruptcy protection. The failure of Phumelela would have a devastating effect on the industry, and the funds are an attempt to save the sector, Wehann Smith, a board member of Mary Oppenheimer Daughters and a director of the Racing Association, told Johannesburg-based Business Day newspaper. Phumelela — which operates four racecourses, five training centers and over 200 tote outlets comprising nearly 150 branches — has been unable to stage events since the government banned large gatherings in mid-March as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold. The Johannesburg-based company announced it had filed for so-called business rescue on May 8. Industry Slump Phumelela used to count former Steinhoff International Holdings NV Chief Executive Officer Markus Jooste as a director and significant shareholder. Jooste, who was an owner of many of the country’s racehorses, was forced to resign all of his directorships in the wake of an accounting scandal at Steinhoff that erupted in 2017. Phumelela’s revenue started to decline after that and the gambling company, which reported a 109 million-rand full-year loss, started cutting jobs last year amid the horse-racing industry slump. The stock has tumbled 96% since the start of 2019, leaving the company with a market value of less than 42 million rand. At the company’s request, trading in its shares was suspended on May 8. The Oppenheimer’s father, Harry, was chairman of De Beers and Anglo American, which was once the world’s biggest mining company. He and his wife, Bridget, owned and raced thousands of horses, according to Tab Online, the official tote-betting site of South African horseracing. Mary is also devoted to racehorses and her daughter, Jessica Slack, also races, according to the website. The country’s richest were among the first to respond to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s request for funds to help fight the pandemic. The families of Nicky Oppenheimer and billionaire Johann Rupert committed 1 billion rand each to support small businesses and save jobs. Oppenheimer’s sister, Mary, later added another 1 billion rand, while billionaire Patrice Motsepe and his companies pledged to spend 1 billion rand on fighting the disease. Naspers Ltd., Africa’s largest company by market value, has also committed to spending 1.5 billion rand in the country as the battle against the pandemic intensifies. Source: iol.co.za About Post Author Iwo Bulski Issues related to the gambling business is engaged in more than 30 years. My empirical experience gives me the opportunity to present events and companies from this business with full knowledge and industry knowledge. See author's posts Iwo BulskiIssues related to the gambling business is engaged in more than 30 years. My empirical experience gives me the opportunity to present events and companies from this business with full knowledge and industry knowledge. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Print Tags: horseracing, Phumelela, South Africa Continue Reading Previous Pin Projekt enters South Africa with Hollywoodbets dealNext Miss South Africa 2020 goes virtual More Stories EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA South African party seeks support to place Remote Gambling Bill on agenda 4 days ago Samuel BETTING SOUTH AFRICA National Gambling Amendment Act 4 days ago Szarlot LOTTERIES SOUTH AFRICA Lottery results: How does the Lotto draw work behind the scenes? 4 days ago Szarlot EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA Minister moves to appoint National Gambling Board members after ten years 5 days ago Samuel LOTTERIES SOUTH AFRICA SA has two more millionaires! Lotto jackpot winners claim winnings 7 days ago Samuel EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA Online gambling is South Africa’s next big social ill 1 week ago Samuel BETTING SOUTH AFRICA Hollywoodbets Brand Ambassador Profile: Makazole Mapimpi 2 weeks ago Samuel EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA A Comparative Analysis Of Land-Casinos and Online Casinos in South Africa 2 weeks ago Szarlot BETTING SOUTH AFRICA Games For South African Sports Enthusiasts To Try 2 weeks ago Samuel BETTING SOUTH AFRICA Responsible gambling is key to SA betting industry sustainability 2 weeks ago Samuel LOTTERIES SOUTH AFRICA Lottoland reaches 20 million customers worldwide 2 weeks ago Samuel ONLINE SOUTH AFRICA Sunbet deepens online gaming offering through extension of partnership with Bede Gaming 3 weeks ago Samuel Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.