The excuse seemed to work, because he got off with only a warning!

'Dagga makes horses strong': This was the defence of 44-year-old Ntai Mokoena in the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court.

He appeared in connection with the possession of 68g of the illegal substance.

He told magistrate Leon Ferreira the dagga was not intended for himself, but for his horse, because “it makes him strong”.

When Ferreira asked Mokoena if he ever used dagga, he replied that he never indulged, as “I’m not made for that kind of thing”.

The dagga had been concealed in a plastic bag, inside an empty container.

Mokoena’s horse story resulted in suppressed laughter from the public gallery, but luckily for him, he was not saddled with a prison term. Ferreira let him go with a warning, as it was his first offence.