Murder of Eastern Cape horseracing mogul sparks fears of 'revenge killing'

Speakers at Anele Luntinto's funeral made it clear they believe that jealousy over his spectacular run of wins - and feuds over cattle and horses in the area - were behind the violence.

Luntinto's champion racehorses stood by his bullet-riddled body in its casket at his funeral.

Their ears pricked and they shuffled as emotional appeals were made to the Eastern Cape horseracing fraternity and cattle barons to pull back from the brink of a reckless, cowboy-style war in the hills around Qumbu, north of Mthatha.

The appeals - drawing on the cattle feuds and raids in which 400 people died in the early 1990s - were made by ANC and traditional leaders before a crowd of 1,000, who packed the funeral service of the 37-year-old horse and cattle entrepreneur at his rural home in Mbentsa, reports DispatchLIVE.

In an extraordinary display of equestrian power, 48 horses owned by members of the local community - including Luntinto's renowned champions Khathaza’amanyamadoda and Zinto - were on display over the weekend, accompanying the funeral procession along a 20km route to his country home.

Luntinto was gunned down in the driveway of his Mbentsa home in Qumbu on January 9.

Two days later - and only two streets away - assailants in an SUV attacked two homesteads belonging to the Philiso family, randomly firing into the homes with automatic rifles and pistols and then setting them alight. The farmer also had 52 sheep taken by rustlers, 10 of which were later recovered.

Police are yet to make an arrest and say the motive for Luntinto's killing remains a mystery.

However, speakers at the funeral made it clear they believe that jealousy over Luntinto's spectacular run of racing wins - and feuds over cattle and horses in the area - were behind the violence.

Khathaza’amanyamadoda and Zinto have made Qumbu famous in SA horseracing, winning 20 races since 2018, including three major annual races in the Eastern Cape in the past three months — the Berlin November, the Bajodonini December 26 and the Tsolo January 1 races — as well as another in Dundee in KwaZulu-Natal.

ANC OR Tambo regional chairperson and council speaker Xolile Nkompela, with respected businessman and AmaMpondomise leader of the Dosini royal house, Simphiwe Molosi, were at the forefront of trying to calm emotions.

In their tributes, they urged mourners to refrain from conflict. Both said no amount of revenge-driven attacks could bring back lost lives or burnt properties. 

“People, do not allow the notorious incidents of the 1990s to happen again," said Nkompela.

"Hundreds of people were massacred. We beg the Luntinto family, horseracing industry and farmers and all those who loved Anele not to avenge his death, but to have confidence and assist the police in arresting the killers. Revenge killing will see many people - including innocent children and women - killed.

“Please, people of Mbentsa, you must work with the police to ensure the arrest of Anele's killers - and also those who burnt and shot at the two homesteads.” 

Nkompela said 10 people had been killed in stock theft-related violence in Malepelepe village in Tsolo between September and October last year.

Nkompela, Molosi and other speakers said the allegation that Luntinto had been found in the company of stock thieves in a nearby village of Kunontyankashe was ''baseless''.

“Horse owners are stock farmers, not stock thieves. We must not be trigger-happy and kill others. Let us stop embarking on revenge and violence which spill the blood of our brothers and sisters. We need cool heads to bring about peace and stability at Mbentsa and assist the police in the investigations,” said Molosi. 

''I hope Anele's killing has nothing to do with jealousy within the horseracing industry.'' added Nkompela. 

Luntinto's mother MaDosini delivered an emotionally charged eulogy for her son.

''I witnessed my own son dying in a hail of bullets in front of me. But avenging his death will not bring him back to life - it will only mean more innocent people will be killed," she said.