South African horse racing was struck by yet another tragedy when newly qualified jockey LJ Katjedi (26) died in a car accident on Wednesday night.
He had qualified as a jockey on January 3, only eight days before his death, and was due to ride his first races as a professional jockey on Wednesday at the Vaal.
Katjedi’s death follows that of Cape jockey Andre du Preez, who died in a head-on car collision on December 21.
Katjedi was born on March 22 1979 and grew up in Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) in Limpopo.
An avid horse-racing fan growing up, Katjedi became a computer programmer but gave up his keyboard and monitor in 2002 to follow his dream of working with horses.
He became a groom at Gary Alexander’s Turffontein training establishment and was sent on a work riders’ training course at Eikenhof-based James Maree’s Racing and Equestrian Centre. That was when things really started happening for the young man.
With the backing of the Racing Trust, he was allowed to become a ”special apprentice” and was given a scholarship to the South African Racing and Equestrian Academy at Summerveld near Durban.
He attended the Summerveld academy in 2003 before being transferred to the Gauteng Jockeys’ Academy, run by Robert Moore for the past two years.
As one of the most promising young ”learner” riders in the country, Katjedi broke nearly all records, riding his 50th winner in December 2004.
That promising start to his career attracted the attention of Philip Georgas, of Sun International, who offered Katjedi a sponsorship and the young rider became one of the first apprentices in the country to carry corporate insignia on his racing garb.
Unfortunately, although Katjedi had ridden 19 winners between August and December 2004, he went through a numbing drought and a six-week, injury-enforced holiday last year, winning only 15 races (taking his lifetime tally to 65).
He had started to put his career back on track, though, according to Tex Lerena, chairperson of the South African Jockeys’ Association.
Lerena said: ”What a tragedy. He was one of our most promising lightweight riders. I’d spent some time with him on Monday morning discussing his way forward and he was so organised and upbeat about his prospects.
”He had started riding work at the Vaal for trainers Romeo Francis, Cyril Naidoo and Geoff Woodruff and looked like he was going to put it all together. Our condolences to his family and friends.”
The Racing Trust’s Alison McKenzie was devastated by the news of Katjedi’s death: ”He was such a splendid young man. I take comfort in the fact that he was doing exactly what he had always wanted to do.”
Katjedi’s funeral will be held in Mookgophong on Saturday January 21. He is survived by his grandparents, Thati and Martha Nkoana and Rachel Monama; his parents, Amos and Nancy; three siblings, Kgantsha, Monananki and Khalangani; his girlfriend, Dinakatso; and his one-and-a-half-year-old son, Keragile. — Sapa