[1] Born in a Johannesburg township Mafokate lived with his parents in the countryside, where he worked on a farm as a groom and thereby started to love horses.
He had his first chance for competitive showjumping, when his employer decided to let the black grooms compete against each other.
Because he won many competitions he gained recognition and was furthermore called "black rider", not "groom".
Mafokate, as being the first black South African show jumper, did not compete actively, but accompanied the games as a sports ambassador.
2007 Mafokate founded the Soweto Equestrian Foundation (SEF), a non-profit riding school.