Tag: Capture

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Cools & the Gang – Greatest Hits (A Comrades Communication Breakdown)

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It is no secret that relations between the former Comrades Race & Operations Manager (ROM), Ann Ashworth, and the Marketing & Communications Manager, Delaine Cools, were frosty at best and openly hostile at worst before, during and after the 2024 edition of the race.

The previous article in this series detailed the conjecture and supporting evidence that Cools had been promised the ROM (or General Manager) job and went out of her way to make Ashworth’s tenure difficult. In some circumstances, this appears to have escalated to outright sabotage.

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Why Ashworth was Fired Part III: Succession Shenanigans

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This is a part of a series of articles on how Comrades was captured and why Ann Ashworth was fired. Despite support from the Chair, Vice Chair and Tier 1 sponsors, Ashworth’s contract extension was rejected at a Board meeting in June and her contract was ‘terminated with immediate effect.’ Ashworth believes that there were three main reasons leading to the Board firing her, this is the third.

Whilst reasons 1 and 2 are indisputable chains of events and facts, reason 3 does involve some conjecture (albeit with plenty of substance).

The two points of conjecture are that:

  1. Delaine Cools was promised the Race Manager position by the four “bussed-in and bought” (BIAB) Board members.
  2. Zinhle Sokhela was earmarked by the gang of four BIABs to be elevated as the next Chair of Comrades.
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Why Ashworth was Fired Part II: Cash and Carry On Regardless

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This is a part of a series of articles on how Comrades was captured and why Ann Ashworth was fired. Despite support from the Chair, Vice Chair and Tier 1 sponsors, Ashworth’s contract extension was rejected at a Board meeting in June and her contract was ‘terminated with immediate effect.’ Ashworth believes that there were three main reasons leading to the Board firing her, this is the second.

It appears to be an open secret that Board votes are “bussed-in and bought” at the AGM. Prior to the November 2023 AGM, Ashworth was warned by a staff member that she was about to be “educated”.

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Why Ashworth was Fired Part I: Kleptomania at Comrades House

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This is a part of a series of articles on how Comrades was captured and why Ann Ashworth was fired. Despite support from the Chair, Vice Chair and Tier 1 sponsors, Ashworth’s contract extension was rejected at a Board meeting in June and her contract was ‘terminated with immediate effect.’ Ashworth believes that there were three main reasons leading to the Board firing her, this is the first.

After noticing that Board member Isaac Ngwenya would leave functions and events carrying armloads of beverages (sometimes even making return trips to his car) and that the Comrades House bar fridges were having to be restocked far more frequently than “reasonable usage” would dictate, Ann Ashworth (Comrades Race and Operations Manager), requested permission to put locks on the fridges.

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How They Captured Comrades

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Board members are elected by votes cast at the AGM. All Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) members in good standing are allowed to attend and vote for Board members at the AGM. The annual membership fee in 2023 was R50. This was raised to R100 in 2024 along with the updated eligibility requirement on the Comrades website to be, “either a Comrades Runner or Comrades Volunteer before applying for CMA membership”.

The official reason for doubling the CMA Membership fee was ‘to cover increased administration costs and member benefits’ but unofficially it is also understood to be an apparent attempt to make the buying of AGM votes more difficult. In 2023 it cost an estimated R6500 to capture Comrades (130 CMA memberships x R50). If the same game plan is followed in 2024, the cost is R13000 – still a bargain for the unscrupulous to extend their malevolent influence on the largest and richest ultra marathon in the world.

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