Dream comes true for South African shearer

Dream comes true for South African shearer

It is a long way from a small village in South Africa for Golden Shears World Championship competitor Mayenzeke Shweni, but his selection to come to Masterton for the olympics of shearing and woolhandling is a dream come true.

The 39-year-old, who was 5th in the 2010 worlds in Wales, and along with his team mate and three-time world blades champion Zweliwile Hans are going all out to retain the world teams blade shearing title they bagged in Wales two years ago.

And while he may have already held his country’s flag high on the world competition circuit, to shear in New Zealand alongside New Zealand’s best is the first.

“I have always wanted to come to compete but it is a long way from South Africa and very expensive. To be here now competing for my country in New Zealand, in a contest that is the best in the world is a thing young boys in our villages can only dream of.”

Shweni has been blade shearing in South Africa for 20 years though only began competing seven years ago.
“In my country, blade shearing is a full time profession. We can shear on average 110 sheep each a day. When it is hot, farmers prefer to use blade shearers to shear their sheep.”

While Shweni and Hans will be hard to beat in the team’s event, it is Hans who is now the hot favourite to win the 2012 15th individual blade shearing World Championship title following the withdrawal of Lesotho blade shearing icon Zingesele Elliot Ntsombo and his highly-rated teammate Dantjebo Sekete. The pair had been left behind in Africa because of visa issues.

While Shweni is disappointed that there would be no head to head battle with the Lesotho pairing, he is not letting it darken his New Zealand experience.

“The fact I am finally here in this country of sheep and great shearers has made me even more determined to win. Let the competition begin.”

Blade shearing this afternoon marked the start of the 15th World Shearing Championships, while the 52nd Golden Shears competition is now in its second day.

Tomorrow’s events will see the start of competition for the guns of the shearing shed with the Golden Shears open shearing and woolhandling heats and top 30 shootout, along with more world championship action.

ENDS

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