Former Northern Cape champion jockey Muzi Yeni has reportedly hit back via his attorneys following a suggested ‘knee jerk’ suspension issued under potentially unconstitutional circumstances by the National Horseracing Authority against himself and colleague Billy Jacobson after the duo were involved in two separate incidents at Hollywoodbets Greyville a week ago.
Just under 48 hours after the racemeeting where Jacobson and Yeni ‘bumped heads’, the National Horseracing Authority placed both on an immediate interim suspension in terms of the provisions of Rule 91.2 as it was contended that their participation ‘could pose an unacceptable risk of prejudicing the reputation, interests, integrity, safety and welfare of racing and its participants’.
While Billy Jacobson said that he personally had nothing to hide and laid bare his version to the Sporting Post of the events of the pre-Valentine’s Day showdown between the two, which included registering a charge of intimidation with the SAPS after Yeni allegedly threatened to telephonically summons unknown persons to harm his family, Yeni, on the other hand, has maintained a silence on the advice of his counsel.
Read Jacobson’s account here.
Muzi Yeni just wants to earn his daily bread (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
But the Sporting Post learns from impeccable sources that Yeni is yet to be informed officially of the reasons for his suspension and actually had to read about it on this and other platforms. The underlying reasons for his temporary ban have been respectfully labelled ‘nonsensical, capricious and illogical’ by his legal advisers.
Yeni reportedly also intends laying charges of grievous bodily harm, and has appointed attorneys to argue that he should be allowed to ply his trade as he has no other means of earning an income, let alone staying fit, as he is not allowed to ride work.
His attorneys have also suggested that a suspension without a hearing is fundamentally unjust and in contravention of his rights in terms of the constitution.
Issue has also been taken with the absence in Australia of the NHA’s CEO and Racing Control Manager, who implemented the ban on the two riders, but then apparently failed to delegate the responsibility in their absence, thus potentially prejudicing a speedy resolution.
Yeni’s counsel contend that this reflects poorly on the racing regulator and amounts to ‘malicious behaviour’. Messrs Vee Moodley and Arnold Hyde are apparently due back in South Africa on Wednesday after having attended the Asian Racing Conference in Melbourne last week.
Yeni has tendered that should his suspension be lifted, he will undertake not to accept rides in KZN. This is apparently made without an admission of any wrongdoing in a simple attempt to mitigate his loss of income and to avoid any potential interaction with Jacobson, until such time as the process is completed.
Yeni’s version of the events include a denial that he threatened Jacobson’s family and contends that he actually was the one who felt unsafe against a person ‘twice his size’ and who he says assaulted him some ten years ago.
