Borman murder: suspect ‘part of family’
· Citizen
It’s a measure of our society’s rampant criminality that the murder of a racehorse trainer does not make blaring national news headlines – though, thankfully, the slaying of people fighting lawlessness does still register on the Richter scale of outrage and horror.
The timing of Jannie Borman’s killing at the Vaal racecourse training centre, during a sleepy Easter holiday weekend, was probably among the reasons for the low-key news coverage – perhaps along with a lazy public/media stereotype of horse racing being linked to shady practice.
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The racing industry itself was deeply shocked by the violent act, of a sort that is, in fact, not common in the game in South Africa.
The fact that alcohol and frayed temper may have been involved draws suspicion away from the world of gangsterism and assassins.
A 53-year-old man was arrested shortly after the incident.
Police spokesperson Sgt Josephine Rani said the killing happened just after 8pm on Saturday 4 April, at Borman’s home at his stables at Viljoensdrif, near Vereeniging in the Free State.
Borman, 73, and the suspect, both of whom lived on the premises, had reportedly been drinking when an argument broke out over racing winnings.
“The argument escalated, resulting in the suspect allegedly assaulting the victim with a spade,” said Rani.
“The suspect later reported the incident to a security officer, who immediately contacted emergency services.”
Borman’s three adult children, interviewed by some news outlets, said the suspect had been “part of the family” and had been “looked after” by the veteran trainer for 20 years.
The affable Borman had a reputation for turning around fortunes of moderate or under-performing racehorses, yet he had one of the smallest strings in the Highveld region. He currently lies in 106th place on the 2025/26 national trainers’ log, with two wins and 12 places from 38 runners.
His most recent success came just four days before his death, when five-year-old gelding Itsnowornever won at the Vaal on 31 March, under championship-leading jockey Craig Zackey for owner Shaun Potgeiter, at favourite odds of 33-10.
One of Borman’s better-performed horses of late has been six-year-old Vava Vegas, a four-time winner for colourful and ebullient owner Gerald Sadlier.
Borman started training thoroughbreds in 1997, with his stepfather Henry Sham, before taking out his own licence in Bloemfontein and later moving to Kimberley. He relocated to the Vaal in 2020.