Embattled Comrades Marathon Association elects new board boasting ‘young blood and experience’

Gerda Steyn wins the Comrades at Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg on 9 June, 2024. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images)

By Yanga Sibembe

2 Dec 2024

The Comrades Marathon Association has some new brooms which it hopes will clean up its image after a tumultuous 2024.

Following a lengthy annual general meeting (AGM) at Carter High School in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) has a new-look board.

In the aftermath of the CMA’s first hybrid AGM of online and in-person attendees, seven board members boasting a variety of skills were elected to serve the best interests of the annual ultramarathon and its general community.

Attorney Mark Leathers, who has represented CMA members for free in the past, received the most votes from the list of 14 candidates. He scored 278, with former elite runner and erstwhile New York Marathon winner Willie Mtolo second with 254.

The CMA’s most recent chairperson, Mqondisi Ngcobo, who resigned from the post in August when the CMA was under much public scrutiny, reprised his role on the board, while human resources specialist Brenda Marolen (the founder and chair of Urithi Athletics Club) also received the backing of members.

EasyEquities chief marketing officer Carel Nolte made the cut, as did security expert Rory Steyn and retired electrical engineer Alan Gray.

The finish line for the 2024 Comrades Marathon at Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg on 30 November 2024. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images)

“The new board is looking good and mixed with young blood and experience. At the end of the day all went well, and we are happy and satisfied with the new board. We only want to see them successful and carry on with the legacy of the Comrades Marathon,” outgoing interim CMA chairperson Jeff Minnaar was quoted as saying by The Witness.

The top five following Saturday’s vote will serve two-year terms, while the last two of the seven new board members (Steyn and Gray) will be granted one-year terms each.

The newly elected members will join Isaac Ngwenya and Nontuthuko Mashimane on the board. The pair’s terms of office have not expired so they were able to remain at the CMA’s top table.

On paper, the new board certainly inspires much confidence and boasts varying skillsets which may be crucial in turning around the public perception of the CMA after a tumultuous few months.

Comrades Marathon Comrades runners at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on 28 August 2022. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images)

Over the past couple of months allegations of maladministration and racism have plagued the CMA. In fact, at the AGM, race and operations manager Alain Dalais announced that the interim CMA board had instituted an independent investigation into these allegations. A detailed report would be ready in about a fortnight.

If he is implicated in any wrongdoing when the investigation is done, Ngwenya will have to vacate his post. He has consistently proclaimed his innocence in any wrongdoing.

“Yes, there are allegations of corruption, but there’s no corruption on the board because all procurement is done through one system, and any payment is accounted for in the books,” Ngwenya said in August 2024.

As well as electing a new board, members at the AGM were also tasked with voting for or against a number of motions, including amendments to the CMA’s constitution.

Gerda Steyn at the start of the 94th Comrades Marathon in Durban on 9 June 2019. (Photo: Anesh Debiky / Gallo Images)

Gerda Steyn Comrades Gerda Steyn wins the Comrades at Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg on 9 June, 2024. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images)

One important motion that passed was that KwaZulu-Natal Athletics and Athletics South Africa’s (ASA) honorary seats on the CMA board be non-voting, to prevent interference from the two bodies in the running of the organisation.

Leathers, who put forward this motion, used the example of the court case between KZN Athletics and CMA members to drive his point home. The motion was favoured as 87% voters gave it the green light.

Though a suggested constitutional change to completely remove KZN Athletics and ASA from the CMA board did receive the required number of votes (two-thirds majority) to pass, the greenlighting of the motion was a loud enough message for KZN Athletics and ASA from the custodians of the Comrades that any interference from them will not be tolerated.

It was also decided at the AGM that no actively serving board member may simultaneously hold a portfolio position on the Race Organising Committee, an occurrence which has allegedly been a conduit for corruption in the past.

Considering how the Comrades has hogged the headlines in 2024, the board will have its work cut out as they seek to redeem the reputation of the CMA. The findings of the ongoing investigation will be key to this.

But first, they are expected to meet in the coming days to elect a new chairperson. DM

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