Grant van Niekerk has issued a public apology, which is contained within a letter sent to the Sporting Post by his attorneys – Darryl Furman and Associates.
Within the NHA notification of Van Niekerk’s recent failed appeal was the following sentence:
Further, as per the Inquiry Board ruling which was upheld in this instance, the reduction of the 90-day suspension to 30 days is contingent on several factors, including that Jockey van Niekerk must issue a public apology to the NHA via the media within ten days of this ruling (by 15 September 2025).
Thus, it would seem his apology has come a month too late.
However, he did issue an urgent application to the high court for an interdict after the appeal. He sought to have the NHA penalties suspended, pending review proceedings being brought in the High Court.
The judge struck the application from the roll, but did not dismiss the case.
Perhaps the apology was allowed to be delayed while the application for the interdict was still before the court?
The apology comes five days after Van Niekerk’s interdict application failed.
The details of the letter sent to the Sporting Post by Van Niekerk’s attorneys is shown below:
Legal counsel acting for Grant van Niekerk have issued a statement to the Sporting Post.
They write that on 10 October 2025, His Lordship Justice J Noko granted an Order in terms of an Urgent Interim Interdict Application brought by Grant Van Niekerk in the South Gauteng High Court on 12 September 2025.
The purpose of that Application was to suspend the implementation of the sanction imposed on Mr Van Niekerk by an Inquiry Board on 4 April 2025, and confirmed by the Appeal Board of the NHA on 2 September 2025.
After the passing of almost three weeks from the date of the hearing of the Application, the Honourable Judge issued an Order whereby he struck the matter off the roll for lack of urgency. It was not dismissed by the Honourable Judge Noko.
Whilst Mr Van Niekerk disagrees with the finding of the Court in this regard, he is unable to appeal such an Order as it is of an interim nature, and not of a final nature.
Accordingly, Mr Van Niekerk’s Application remains as pending against the NHA.
In terms of the sanction imposed by the Inquiry Board, Mr Van Niekerk was required to make an apology to the various parties described therein.
On an entirely without prejudice, and without any admission of any wrongdoing by him, and also with reservation of his rights thereto, Mr Van Niekerk hereby makes such an apology as ordered by the Inquiry Board.
However, what is of great significance is that in the conclusion of his judgment, the Honourable Judge Noko stated the following:
“It is strange and disconcerting that the Appeal Board opted not to participate in the proceedings and they are aware that (Van Niekerk) alleges inability to launch the review application as reasons are not forthcoming, and the (NHA) is also not bothered by the absence of the reason. This posture may be construed as lending credence to (Van Niekerk’s) accusations that the (NHA) is ill-treating its members.”
It is also important to note that the Honourable Judge Noko, when striking the matter off the roll for lack of urgency, did not make any cost order of a punitive nature against Mr Van Niekerk.
Ed – The underlying charge originated from comments made by Jockey van Niekerk during a post-race interview following the running of Race 2 at Hollywoodbets Durbanville Racecourse on Wednesday, 26 March 2025. Read more here.
Statement issued on Thursday 16 October 2025 by Darryl Furman & Associates – Attorneys for Mr Van Niekerk.
