Bent out of shape at the polo, in a good way
Magician manipulates metal to entertain crowd at swanky event
● Billed as one of South Africa’s most prestigious events, the Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo event is at the top of the pile for socialites and social climbers alike.
And so I was looking forward to a day blending a couple of chukkas with delicious French bubbles against the backdrop of one of the world’s best equestrian estates, Val de Vie in Paarl, last Saturday afternoon.
Climbing out of my snazzy ride (thanks to luxury chauffeur service Dinare Tours), I meet one of the country’s perkiest lasses, Boitumelo Thulo, who many of you might know better as Boity.
The TV presenter looks great, wearing a gleaming white midriff top and skirt by House of Ole, with a daring hat by milliner Anita Ferreira, so I don’t have the heart to tell her that her get-up isn’t exactly polo appropriate (the polo police deem widerbrimmed and straw hats to be more suitable, while ladies who turn up showing their bellies are as welcome as polony at a cocktail party).
Walking up the venue’s stairs, I greet another gorgeous lass, former Miss World Rolene Strauss, who arrives on the arm of her husband D’Niel. Standing on the terrace overlooking the grounds, I spot Pascal Asin, Moët Hennessy market director for Africa and the Middle East, and his wife, Sabine Thomas, who is wearing Gavin Rajah.
The A-list couturier, wearing one of his signature scarves, is in our midst as Sabine beckons to me to witness mentalist and magician Larry Soffer bending a fork before handing it to Karin Berman (formerly Barnard).
I don’t have time to catch my breath before the mind-reader with a knack for metal-bending not only twists my R2 coin but manages to figure out which out of more than five and a half million Wikipedia entries I searched for on my phone.
Wow!
Then it’s a quick chat with Nozuko Mbalula, who has been downgraded from ministerial to politico wife since husband Fikile was dropped from the cabinet, and she introduces me to her friend Mizana Qata, a former auditor who now is in the eventing game.
This being the Western Cape, I talk water matters with Ryk Neethling, who has hung up his Speedo to market the equestrian estate and who is still single after parting ways with fianceé Sahar Biniaz in 2016.
Is it easier to bore for water on the estate than it is to find a wife, I cheekily ask.
“Much easier,” says Ryk, a twinkle in his piercing blue eyes.
Elsewhere I spot model Rosette Ncwana, who often turns up at these events sans businessman husband Lunga; Ndaba Mandela, who is heading to Paris to promote a musical on the life of his late granddad; and Sincerely Ward, who apparently appears in an American reality TV show but who I have never heard of.
On the field, local team Vodacom wins against the Veuve Clicquot side, with actress Nomzamo Mbatha entertaining us as the day’s MC . We are spoilt for choice when it comes to morsels to complement those bubbles — think sticky citrus prawn firecrackers, unusual doughnut-shaped sushi, crispy pita breads topped with shredded lamb, and a table groaning with antipasto and cheeses.
Is it easier to bore for water on the estate than it is to find a wife?