All roads lead to the 2017 Harry Gwala Summer Cup
All roads lead to the small KwaZulu-Natal midlands village of Kilimoni this weekend for the much anticipated Harry Gwala Summer Cup, a rural horse-riding event organized by the KZN Department of Sport and Recreation.
The Summer Cup, which is the Province’s second most popular traditional horse-riding contest after the well-known Dundee July, always happens during the month of November at Kilimoni Village situated between Bulwer and Underberg in the heart of the Harry Gwala District.
The date for this year’s event is Saturday, 18 November from 09h00 in the morning until sunset at Kilimoni Horse Racing Course at Esidindini area.
On its 8th year, the contest is a joint initiative of the Department, Harry Gwala District Municipality and the recently amalgamated Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Local Municipality, working in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Rural Horse Riding Association. Other partners include Gold Circle, Coastal Horse Care, Farmgate Dairies, other Government Departments like Arts and Culture, Treasury, Economic Development as well as Agriculture and Rural Development.
The event features six mouth-watering races, fashion shows and entertainment.
The MEC for Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation, Mrs Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi supports the growth of rural horse-riding as it is one of government’s initiatives that contribute to rural economic development.
“I want to thank the organisations that have over the years been with us on this journey to grow the rural horse riding brand and we urge more to come on board, especially private business. The Harry Gwala Summer Cup is one of the most anticipated events on our calendar, and is part of our vision to develop rural horse riding into a fully-fledged industry that creates employment and provide business opportunities,” commented MEC Sithole-Moloi.
Fun in the area will start on Friday, 17/11, on the eve of the races with an activation programme that includes a local soccer tournament, ending with a musical show at the local Mlindeli hall in the afternoon. The sport programme will be at the sports field within the racing facility and will incorporate a coaching clinic by Maritzburg United.
Entry to all the events is free to the public.