In the late 1980s, a statue of a ‘prancing horse’ stood guard outside of the Sandton Civic Centre near the corner of Rivonia Road and West Street. Surrounded by a fountain, the picturesque shot became one of the many symbols which represented the life around Sandton CBD.
The horse was donated by the founder of Toyota South Africa, who believed at the time that horses were the perfect symbol to represent the Toyota brand. He also deemed the stallion a perfect fit for the city because Sandton was quite well known for its horse clubs and riding schools during that time period.
Many people would come from far to partake in the equestrian life that Sandton had to offer. The disappearance of the stallion has been a community mystery for some time now. No one really knows when or why the statue was removed.
According to The Heritage Portal, the statue was believed to have been reclaimed by Toyota and placed outside its Marlboro office in Sandton.
Former Sandton Chronicle journalist Kate Henry investigated the stallion’s disappearance in 2010. While on the hunt for the statue’s current location, Henry received a statement from Toyota South Africa stating that the statue was in fact moved to the Toyota manufacturing plant in Durban ‘out of fear of vandalism and destruction’.
According to the manufacturing plant, the prancing horse statue still remains in all its glory on the premises today.
