Lofts of Strandfontein swept the top three positions in the Mitchells Plain Homing Union’s Calvinia race on 11 July 2026, with Faizel Flowers taking first place at professional level across both the Union and the CWM Combine.

Flowers’ cock bird (ring number FB 25 14070) covered 304,449 km after being released at 09:00, arriving home at 12:57:38 at a velocity of 1 281,1713 m per minute (mpm). A total of 70 members and 1 016 birds competed in the union race. The Combine drew 173 members and 2 647 birds.

The Strandfontein Pigeon Racing Club also claimed all three podium spots, with 11 members entering 137 birds.

Union — top three

F Flowers (Strandfontein) — 1 281,1713 mpm

Wajid Lofts (Strandfontein) — 1 259,5203 mpm

L Tyman (Strandfontein) — 1 257,2690 mpm

CWM Combine — top three

F Flowers (Strandfontein) — 1 281,1713 mpm

Davids Brothers (VHS) — 1 271,6220 mpm

I Samodien (VHS) — 1 271,4057 mpm

Strandfontein club — top three

F Flowers — 1 281,1713 mpm

Wajid Lofts — 1 259,5203 mpm

L Tyman — 1 257,2690 mpm

Niggie Pearl

A pampered pigeon from the Flowers loft in Strandfontein has surprised her daddy by becoming a competitive flier, albeit more of an Anna Kournikova pigeon than a serious athlete.

Last weekend the plucky pigeon came second in her loft.

The bird, raised by hand by Flowers’ wife, Sandy Schuter, was rescued from the loft after an epic cat-fight among the pigeons last year. The “domestic dispute”, as Schuter had called it at the time in her social-media videos, left the bird severely injured. Schuter adopted her as a pet and nursed her back to health, treating her like a baby and turning her into a social-media star.

At the time Flowers had lamented that Niggie Pearl, as the pigeon influencer had been named by Schuter, would be unlikely to readjust to life in the loft — where squabbles and debauchery ruled — or become a good racer because she was too domesticated.

Pearl had other plans. She did go back into the loft after a few months while Schuter continued to post videos of her lusty antics, apparently showing the promiscuous pigeon having several cocks on the go and would frequently giving her mother the cold shoulder during visits.

The real test, however, was whether she could fly like her pigeon peers, who had helped their daddy rack up several shelves’ worth of trophies and dethrone his rival, Wajid Rasool, as the local champion.

But the adolescent Pearl surprised them again. Her mommy said she had competed in several races and did well. In the most recent race, from Calvinia on 11 July, she came second in the loft in the sprint series, with three birds from the Flowers loft competing.

No hard feelings

Rasool is not bitter about his dethroning and proudly told TygerBurger about his racing accomplishments over the years.

He has been racing with the Mitchells Plain federation since 2021 and has been union champion five times in that period. He has built a reputation for the quality of his birds, going out of his way to find and breed good stock.

In January this year, buyers from Holland purchased three pigeons from him. Previously, buyers from Namibia and Angola also bought birds from his loft, one bought seven and another bought 10.

In 2023 Rasool competed in Africa Pro, where he placed 14th. His pigeons also performed well at a competition in Zimbabwe. In 2024 he won a car as first prize at the Cape Dome federation board competition and has come second at that event four times in five years.

In Calvinia his loft came second in the union with a velocity of 1 259,5203 m per minute.

This year Rasool has had less time for the sport after falling ill for about two months, but says his pigeons are “coming right again”. He races about 130 birds.

“When it’s racing day, you wait for your pigeon sitting on the roof,” he said. “It’s a nice hobby. It keeps you calm.”

Mitchell’s Plain Legacy Race

The activity on the circuit is set to continue. As part of Mitchell’s Plain’s 50th anniversary celebrations, the Mitchell’s Plain league has organised a Legacy Race from Carnarvon next week. Prizes include sponsored hampers from several local businesses.

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