CMA 2024 AGM: Wrap Up

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The 2024 Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) got off to a slow start. The meeting was due to start at 10:00 and at 10:04 interim CMA Chair Jeff Minnaar got proceedings underway. After giving some special welcomes, he thanked CMA members for sacrificing their Black Friday weekend shopping excursions and promised they’d be able to get their discounted shopping fix around 12 noon. This seemed like an unlikely and overly optimistic estimate – and we had not even got to the first motion on the agenda by 12:30. Any doubts as to the validity of Minnaar’s estimation were further exacerbated with the announcement that the AGM would be delayed “for at least 15 minutes as there is a major traffic jam in Pietermaritzburg.”

Interim CMA Chair Jeff Minnaar during the CMA AGM.
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What’s on the agenda? CMA AGM on 30 November

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Whilst most of the focus has been on the nominees for the seven available Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Board position at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), there are some other important motions to be discussed and voted for at the 30 November meeting.

Below are details of the CMA constitutional amendment motions, standard motions and consideration for the financial statements.

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How James Jimmied the Comrades Books

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After allegations of fraudulent payments surfaced, Rowyn James had a conversation with former Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Vice Chair and current Head of the Finance Committee, Les Burnard. In the conversation, James attempted to provide an explanation for the irregular “Management Fee” payments to volunteer Chris Lombard.

READ MORE: Systemic Corruption at Comrades: Former Manager made Irregular Payments & Assaulted Comrades Legend

James claimed that the payments to Lombard were ‘approved by the Board in 2018’. This was categorically denied by Cheryl Winn, the CMA Chairperson at the time. Board and Finance Committee minutes from 2018 have been checked and there is no record of any approval to pay Lombard. There is also no one I have spoken to within the CMA leadership structures who recalls any discussion about paying Lombard.

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The Idiots Guide to the Domicilium Rule (also applicable to KZNA & interim CMA Board members)

KZNA is trying to illegally make CMA membership 'locals only'.
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If you’ve been following the current Comrades saga where unelected officials seem hell bent on preventing members of the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) from exercising their democratic rights, you will no doubt have heard reference to the ‘Domicilium Rule’. The ‘Domicilium Rule’ rule is being used as the rationale for the ‘locals only’ decree that KwaZulu Natal Athletics (KZNA) and certain members of the interim (and largely unelected) CMA Boards are pushing.

The ‘Domicilium Rule’ seems to leave interviewers in the media perplexed (which is understandable since they are not experts on the subject) but that similarly KZNA and interim CMA Board members either do not understand the rule themselves or are deceitfully and dishonestly obfuscating its proper application and enforcement should be of grave concern to the running community and public.

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Corruption, Maladministration & Incompetence: A Comrades Charge Sheet

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One of the outcomes from the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Special General Meeting (SGM) held on 15 August was the passing of a resolution for the appointment of an independent committee to investigate the Community Marshals Portfolio, and to report its findings to the board, which report is to be published to members. Furthermore, it was agreed that the investigation was to be conducted by a retired judge.

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Cyber Bully to you CMA (and the sad state of journalism)

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If a politician were to claim that an election was rigged at a press conference, you would expect them to provide some proof. Should the politician continue along this line of rhetoric but fail to provide any proof they should be treated with disdain, derision and scorn by the media.

Our professionals in the media are no doubt familiar with the law of propaganda attributed to Nazi Joseph Goebbels (although it’s unlikely he ever actually said), “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”.

At a press conference called by the interim Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Board on 26 August, interim CMA Chairman Jeff Minnaar used the term ‘cyber bullying’ repeatedly and began proceedings by reading a press release entitled, “Comrades Marathon addresses cyber bullying and harassment.

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Zinhle Sokhela still sauntering around Comrades House after ban

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Despite being banned for life from being a Board member, Sokhela and her supporters on the Comrades Board appear to be using a loophole to keep her active in the affairs and operations of the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA).

On Thursday 29 August, the Heritage and Traditions Committee met, apparently to deliberate and determine this year’s Spirit of Comrades award winners. Sokhela was previously part of the committee and was in attendance. It is unclear how members of the committee are chosen as Sokhela has never run Comrades and has only been involved with Comrades for a fairly short time.

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Interim CMA Board says “No” to Transparency at Bizarre Press Conference

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Perceptions that those in Comrades House live in a parallel universe will only be exacerbated after a rather bizarre press conference held on Monday morning. Apparently, the intention was to reinstill confidence in a severely compromised CMA Board rocked by a number of dismissals and resignations. However, instead of ‘steadying the ship’ most viewers left concluding that the CMA is now far further up the creek without a paddle.

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