…as payments remain pending nearly two months after Peka horse race
Leemisa Thuseho
FRUSTRATION is mounting among winners of the 2026 Moshoeshoe’s Day Horse Race after nearly two months passed without payment of their prize monies.
Sponsored and organised by Ramela Foundation and the Ramela & Associates, the event — regarded as Lesotho’s biggest and most prestigious horse racing and fashion spectacle — was held on 18 April 2026 at Peka Racecourse in Leribe.
These Bishop Thakadu David Ramela companies reportedly injected about M2.5 million into this year’s event, with M600 000 earmarked specifically for prize monies across various racing categories.
However, despite repeated assurances, winners are still waiting for the promised funds to reflect in their bank accounts.
The delay has triggered growing concern among participants, some of whom have questioned the organisers’ commitment to honouring their obligations.
The race attracted competitors from Lesotho and neighbouring South Africa and was organised under the auspices of the Equestrian Association of Lesotho.
Equestrian Association of Lesotho president, Khalanyane Lehora, confirmed this week that prize winners had not yet received their payouts.
However, he said organisers had assured the association that payments would begin reflecting in winners’ accounts before the end of this week.
“It is true that the winners have not yet received their prize money, but the good thing is that my secretary spoke to the organisers, who promised that payments would start reflecting this week, possibly from Wednesday,” Lehora told the Lesotho Times.
He acknowledged that the delay had frustrated participants but said the association remained hopeful after receiving assurances that the issue had been resolved.
“It is true the delay had started causing frustration. While we did not know the exact cause initially, we have now been informed that everything has been resolved and payments will be processed, which is what matters to us,” he said.
“Frankly speaking, the delay had begun creating tension between participants and the association, and we started receiving blame. One must remember this is an international event, but we understand the frustration.”
Lehora also clarified that although the event was organised under the association’s banner, the sponsor had not transferred the prize purse directly to the association.
He said this arrangement would need to be reviewed to prevent similar delays in future.
One of the affected equestrians, Salemane Hoko of Semonkong, told this publication yesterday that he had two horses that finished in prize-winning positions but had yet to receive payment.
His horses — Taba Li Thata Khotso Haeo, winner of Flat Race No. 5, and Herota o Fenetha Matsibolo, which finished second in Flat Race No. 7, the main local horses’ race — earned him a combined M13 600.
Hoko said participants had expected payment within days of the event.
“We understood we would not get paid on the same day, but in previous editions of the event payments were processed within about a week,” Hoko said.
He said the delay had left many horse owners under financial pressure after borrowing money to transport their horses to the competition.
For him, the situation had become even more difficult because he had encouraged other owners to enter the race and was now being held accountable.
“This has not been a pleasant experience. Some of us borrowed money to transport our horses and now we are unable to repay it.
“I also encouraged some owners to participate and some of them won. Now they are asking me questions about the prize money and some even suggest the money was paid to me and I kept it.”
Meanwhile, Ramela Foundation event organiser, Puseletso Makhakhe, denied any deliberate attempt to delay payments.
“It is true there was a delay in processing payments, but I can assure participants there was no intention of foul play,” Makhakhe told the Lesotho Times yesterday.
She said part of the delay resulted from the Equestrian Association requesting additional time to verify banking details and resolve issues related to some race categories.
“First, there were matters the association wanted to resolve, especially regarding women’s races.
“We were also informed that last year some payments had to be reversed because of incorrect account details. This year they wanted to submit all the correct information at once.”
She said all issues had now been resolved and organisers expected payments to begin reflecting by the end of the week.
The event is held annually to celebrate Moshoeshoe’s Day, commemorating the founding of the Basotho nation by King Moshoeshoe I in 1824.
The inaugural edition was organised by Hadebe Foundation in 2024 with sponsorship of M500 000. Ramela Foundation took over in 2025 with the same sponsorship amount before significantly increasing its contribution this year.
