Bonile Rabela and Zwelamoakhosi Mbuweni won in their division, bringing home gold and silver from the Golden Shears Shearing and Woolhandling World Championships.
Edinburgh, South Africa (26 June 2023) – Yesterday, on the final day of the Golden Shears Shearing and Woolhandling World Championships 2023, Bonile Rabela and Zwelamoakhosi Mbuweni won in their division, bringing home gold and silver.
The Golden Shears championship saw competitors from all over the world coming together to showcase their skills and shearing styles. Representatives from 29 countries went head-to-head to compete for the winning titles. Two of South Africa’s team earned gold and silver at the competition.
South Africa beat New Zealand, Wales, Australia, England and Ireland to take the top spots in the division.
The Protea Sheep Shearing and Wool Handling Team were made up of seven talented individuals, including the team manager Izak Klooper.
Blade Shearers Zwelamakhosi Mbuweni and Bonile Rabela, earned the winning title in their division as a team and then individual wins as well. Bonile earned the individual gold and Zwelamakhosi earned the individual silver.
“The last (2019) World Championship saw SA reluctantly relinquish its World Blade Shearing title – one it had held steadfastly since 1996 – by taking silver and bronze in the division.
Today, Team SA reclaimed their title by winning gold in the Blade Shearing Team Division, and gold and silver in the Individual Blade Shearing Division, with Bonile Rabela claiming his first World Champion title.” – South African Sheep Shearing Federation
We are so proud of how the team performed as a whole and especially proud of Zwelamakhosi and Bonile for their big wins. They will be welcomed home as heroes!
See all the results below.
World Machines Final (in finishing order): Gwion Lloyd Evans (Wales), Richard Jones (Wales), Calum Shaw (Scotland), Denis O’Sullivan (Ireland). Ivan Scott (Ireland); Adam Berry (England.) Evans won by 3.6 points. New Zealanders Rowland Smith and Leon Samuels ended their run in the semifinals, finishing 8th and 11th respectively.
World Blades Final: Bonile Rabela (South Africa), Zwelamoakhosi Mbuweni (South Africa), Andrew Mudge (England). Tony Dobbs (New Zealand), John Dalla (Australia), Elfed Wyn Jackson (Wales). Rabela won by just over two points. New Zealand’s other entrant, defending champion Allan Oldfield finished 9th in the semifinals.
World Woolhandling Final: Rosie Keenan (Scotland), Audrey Aiken (Scotland), Lucie Grancher (France). Rosie’s margin of victory was 48 points. New Zealand’s Ngaio Hansen finished ninth in the semifinals and Candy Hiri was placed 17th in the qualifying heats; Keryn Herbert representing the Cook Islands was sixth and Tina Elers 18th.
World Teams Machine Shearing: Wales 1; England 2; Scotland 3; Ireland 4; Northern Ireland 5; New Zealand 6.
World teams Blade Shearing: South Africa 1; New Zealand 2; Wales 3; Australia 4; England 5; Ireland 6.
World Teams Woolhandling: Wales 1; France 2; Scotland 3.
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