After months of turmoil, Comrades Marathon body hopes to get new board across the finish line

It’s been a marathon few months for the Comrades, which is one of South Africa’s most renowned sports events. 

Boardroom squabbles and misdemeanours, plus an ongoing legal stand-off between the suits and concerned members of the annual race, have threatened the integrity, and even the existence of the “Ultimate Human Race”. 

However, there is an air of hope ahead of the Comrades Marathon Association’s (CMA) annual general meeting (AGM), which is scheduled for Saturday, 30 November. A total of 14 names have been put forward to take up seven positions on the CMA board. 

Two board members remain from the previous board, which suffered mass resignations amid allegations of maladministration and even racism. They are Nontuthuko Mashimane and Isaac Ngwenya, whose terms are yet to expire.

Ngwenya has been the subject of an internal investigation by the CMA for a number of alleged transgressions and his continued involvement on the board will depend on the outcome of this probe.

The list of names vying for the top spot includes former chair Mqondisi Ngcobo and his former deputy Les Burnard. The pair were part of the mass board resignations in August 2024. 

Adding their names to Saturday’s ballot suggests they believe they have more to offer, but their decision to abscond when the organisation was under scrutiny may come back to bite them.

They are up against Grahame Gertsch, Alan Gray, Brenda Marolen, Willie Mtolo, Carel Nolte, Rory Steyn, Patricia Freeman, Busani Ndlovu, Solomon Mbatha, Bhekumuzi Nkosia, Mark Leathers and Grant Matkovich. 

According to the resolutions taken at a special general meeting (SGM) on 15 August 2024, CMA members in good standing will be able to vote for their preferred candidate digitally. This is something KZN Athletics boss Steve Mkasi has been vehemently against in the build-up to the AGM. 

He may well succeed in his opposition to it, pending an ongoing court case between KZN Athletics and a group of CMA members, which is scheduled for court in early 2025. For now, all eligible members will be able to vote on Saturday. 

The incoming board will have the task of electing a new chairperson, along with his or her deputy. From then on, they will be tasked with restoring the integrity of the CMA – which has taken heavy knocks in recent months.   

The outgoing interim board, comprising CMA veterans Jeff Minnaar (as interim chair) and Peter Proctor (as his deputy), has said it is proud of the work it has done in stabilising the organisation after the turmoil following the mass resignations in August. 

“We have managed to get everything on track for 2025. We were left with a lot of problems, but we put our heads down into the situation and got it going,” Proctor told News24 recently.

“It’s been a tough session after being out of Comrades for about eight years, and we were asked to save the ship while we can. We have managed to do what we had to do,” Proctor added. 

Now it will be up to the new board to continue running this race, with the hopes that they can all work together for the greater good of the Comrades. DM