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:
- Delaine Cools was promised the Race Manager position by the four “bussed-in and bought” (BIAB) Board members.
- Zinhle Sokhela was earmarked by the gang of four BIABs to be elevated as the next Chair of Comrades.
The second is quicker to explain and was one of the items covered in this article: Sign Up to the CMA Today or The Grim Racist could be your next Chairperson. CMA Members elect the Board but the Board elects the Chair and Vice Chair. Just six votes are required for a majority vote meaning that our BIAB gang of four just needed to secure two more votes. Sokhela was confident enough to be making statements to Comrades staff members like, “I’m not Chair yet but…” and her refusal to resign after her racist WhatsApp message may well be because she still believes the title is hers.
One source explained, “It was rumoured that Zinhle Sokhela said to Delaine if you got my back to get to chairman, that she, Zinhle, will see that she [Cools] will get the post of ROM. This rumour was never refuted.” I have also confirmed with several other sources that the fact that Cools was promised the ROM or General Manager (GM) role is common knowledge.
Delaine Cools has been employed by Comrades for the past 14 years and her current title is Marketing and Communications Manager (although she does not in fact have any marketing qualifications). In the interests of fairness, I should disclose that my predisposition towards Cools is not favourable as I have it on good authority that she was the person who blocked me on the Comrades Twitter (X) account in 2023 and she unfollowed my social media accounts (both from the official Comrades profiles and her personal accounts) in 2020 when I wrote an article about Comrades not refunding entry fees during Covid (the article was largely supportive of Comrades’ stance but did criticise the poor communications). This is apparently a pattern, Norrie Williamson was notified that Cools used her friendship with the editor of the Witness to get his column removed from the paper after he wrote an article slightly critical of Comrades and, according to Williamson, other journalists have been removed by Cools from the Comrades media list after publishing articles critical of Comrades.
Like many organisations, Covid put Comrades under intense financial pressure. As part of the austerity measures, they looked at ways to reduce staff costs. One of these was an investigation into whether the Race Manager and Race Director positions could be combined. A local company, NKR Outsourced HR, was engaged and they recommended that the roles be merged resulting in Rowyn James assuming the Race and Operations Manager (ROM) position which he filled until his resignation in 2023.
During a HR Committee meeting in March 2024, Phumlani Ntuli (a primary school teacher who heads the portfolio despite, on his own admission, having no formal HR experience*) and and fellow Board member Isaac Ngwenya proposed that the ROM role be split into two again (General Manager and Race Manager) as it was before Covid. This was rejected by the other committee members. They pointed out that there was already someone in the ROM role who was doing a great job so why was it necessary to reinvent the wheel. According to one source, “certain other members were opposed to any reconsideration of the ROM post especially since the NKR recommendations were scarcely 2 years old and nobody could provide any valid reason for any changes.”
* Ntuli is a highly qualified teacher and does have HR qualifications. In a email response he listed the following qualifications: Bachelor of Education degree, Honours Degree in Education Management, a Diploma in Human Resource Management as well as Publishing and a BTech Degree in Human Resource.
Ngwenya suggested that Ashworth did not have necessary skills for the job and Ntuli criticised Ashworth’s management style. These views were allegedly countered by a suggestion that Ashworth be upskilled to the extent that she was deficient through additional training and mentorship. At the next HR Committee meeting two weeks later, Ngwenya and Ntuli brought up the topic again and persisted with their attacks. This point of contention was resolved with the suggestion to re-engage NKR as the external consultants to evaluate whether the merged role should be split again.
According to a source within the CMA, the minutes that Ntuli circulated to the Board did not reflect the discussion that had taken place, “This [that some members of the committee believed Ashworth was doing an excellent job] was not reflected in the minutes which were of extremely low quality so that it was difficult to understand the precise meaning.” Ntuli’s minutes claimed that the HR Committee was unanimous that Ashworth was unable to perform the ROM role. After other committee members queried why Ntuli had submitted inaccurate minutes, Ntuli eventually admitted that they did not reflect the truth and undertook to correct them.
As part of a response to a series of questions I sent to Ntuli, he replied to this topic, “I have circulated all minutes, reports and any general correspondence to members of my committee before filing them as final and that is a standard practice which speaks to principles of accountability, transparency and collective effort.”
Ngwenya however, did not take kindly to another committee member interfering in his nefarious games and told the committee member to “stop meddling and concerning yourself with Board matters”. It is understood a formal complaint regarding the conduct of Ngwenya and Ntuli was submitted to the Board. It is not known whether any additional action was taken.
The underhanded tactics continued in the engagement with NKR. Ntuli, referred to as “a fly in the ointment” by one source, withheld critical documentation like the record of Rowyn James’ exit interview from the NKR consultant, Nic Nortje. Ntuli claimed that James had said the merged role was too much for one person but apparently this is not an accurate reflection of the exit interview. Similarly, Ntuli instructed NKR not to consult with Ashworth (the incumbent in the role) regarding the supposed enormity of the ROM position, stating that Ashworth had repeatedly complained the job was too much; an allegation which Ashworth has denied.
Ntuli disputes that he instructed NKR not to engage with Ashworth, “In case NKR wanted to get an opinion from Ms Ashworth or any other employee to complete their assignment, then that would have been at their own discretion not mine.” My attempts to get a response from NKR have been unsuccessful. However, I have confirmed that at no stage did NKR consult Ashworth for her opinion on the size or future of the role.
It is understood that NKR’s formal recommendation was to keep the merged ROM role as there was no rational basis for splitting it again. However, Ntuli and Ngwenya are alleged to have fed a different story to the Board and have persisted in pushing through with the split despite the advice of other members of the HR Committee and the CMA’s external consultants.
The most plausible explanation for this illogical decision is that it opens the door for Delaine Cools to become GM as she would almost definitely not be able to handle the race management side of the job since she has no skills, knowledge or experience in race management (or in road running for that matter – Cools has never run Comrades or even participated in a formal road running event). I have also seen private correspondence between senior Comrades personnel which implies that this is the case as well as legitimate concerns regarding Cools’ personal ethics and leadership abilities during her 1-month stint as Acting ROM in October 2023.
The relationship between Cools and Ashworth quickly went from strained to hostile. There appears to be a large body of evidence of incompetence (whether deliberate or accidental) and insubordination against Cools. A charge sheet that Donald Trump would be proud of, listing 22 different cases of insubordination and incompetence is available below. The perception created by this document is that Ashworth was not only fulfilling her responsibilities as ROM, but also stepped up to bat as the CMA Communications Manager from April 2024. I will cover Cools’ devious actions and outright incompetence in a future article.
Several sources believe that Cools worked together with the BIAB Board members to sabotage Ashworth (with no regard of the impact that this would have on the race). One said, “Delaine went out of her way to influence other staff members to work against her [Ashworth]. The board even acknowledged the fact they didn’t take steps against Delaine as it was a month before race day and they don’t want to bring the race into disrepute. She [Cools] also likes to talk badly of other staff members.”
Another said, “She [Cools] tried her damnedest to sabotage the race, her poor communications, and giving family and friends accreditation to the media gantry. Whenever I went to Comrades House, you would hear ‘gossiping’ from her office. Just horrible that one toxic person can ruin such a beautiful race. Even the Chairperson has said how toxic she is.”
When I was collecting information for the “What’s New & Improved at Comrades 2024?” article before the race one contributor said, “Unfortunately, there have been people, both on the Board and the staff that have tried their utmost to sabotage her [Ashworth], she rose above all this and continued to deliver what she promised.”
There are also many more substantiated statements from various Comrades staff and stakeholders that Cools is a gossip monger, rumour spreader and uses lies to try and turn people against each other. Several sources reported that Cools told them about supposed affairs between various members of the staff, the Board and other Comrades stakeholders. A source with a long involvement at Comrades confirmed that Cools has had a long history of insubordination, “She [Cools] has never had a good word to say about any of her superiors – Chris Fisher, Keletso Tothlanyo, Rowyn James or Ann Ashworth.”
Having been presented with several examples of extreme pettiness and actions that would be more fitting in the script of a bad high school ‘Mean Girls’ movie than that of a professional organisation, it is understandable that some have referred to Comrades House as a ‘hostile and toxic work environment’.
Perhaps the most glaring example (which also ties into the conjecture that Cools will do anything to get the top job at Comrades) is that Cools told multiple people (CMA staff and Board members) that Alain Dalais was untrustworthy, was abusing his position as the Head of Procurement by doing backhanded deals and favours for friends, and was moonlighting (which is not permitted under Comrades’ employment practices).
Ashworth disclosed the lies and gossip to Dalais and, when subsequently confronted, Cools admitted that she had spread the lies. Ashworth has confirmed that she found no evidence or suggestion that Dalais has ever behaved improperly and considers him an asset to the CMA office.
Conjecture is that Cools knew Ashworth was on her way out and saw Dalais as the only threat to her getting the ROM position. With Dalais leapfrogging her to be appointed ‘Acting ROM’ after Ashworth’s departure, it appears that Cools’ fears were well-founded.
The lack of support from the Board, lack of acknowledgement for her hard work and efforts in securing record high sponsorship for the event, and outright hostility from Cools prior to the race, led to Ashworth offering to resign on several occasions (none of the offers were accepted).
It appears that a conscientious smear campaign began directly after the 2024 event. Detailed information from various confidential events was leaked to the Sunday Times attempting to paint Ashworth as a racist who targeted non-white staff in the Comrades office. This campaign has continued under the guise of a fake Facebook account which has published several posts alleging that Ashworth targeted and was seen screaming at Indian supporters on route, that she abused her position by doing favours for non-elite friends and family, authorised the improper allocation of sponsored accommodation and targeted staff of colour within the CMA office.
However, the eruption caused by the racist ‘Vanillagate’ WhatsApp message from Board member Zinhle Sokhela interrupted the chain of events, ultimately resulting in a Sunday Times article entitled, “‘Vanilla people’ uproar rocks Comrades Marathon Association”. The original question on Ashworth’s leadership style from Sunday Times journalist Mfundo Mkhize and Ashworth’s response are included below.
Whilst the official euphemism from the CMA on Ashworth’s sudden departure was that the contract extension she signed had lapsed, a media release prepared and distributed by Cools on 28 June stated that Ashworth’s contract had been terminated “with immediate effect.” The implication is that Ashworth was fired (which Ashworth believes she was).
Ashworth originally had a fixed-term contract from 1 November 2023 to 30 June 2024. She was offered a 3-month contract extension in May. However, further engagements between the author and the CMA suggest that Ashworth rejected the initial offer to extend her contract, citing her treatment by the Board and working conditions within the CMA office, primarily as a result of gross insubordination by Marketing and Communications Manager, Delaine Cools.
Some Board members, notably the Chair and Vice Chair, were keen for Ashworth to stay on. After the race (and no doubt spurred on by the immense positive feedback from the Comrades running community as well as from Tier 1 sponsors asking her to remain), Ashworth decided to fight for her job. She signed the extension offer and sent it to the Chair. Legally this constitutes a new contract extension offer and this interpretation was recently confirmed by the Chair to members of the ROC in a meeting held on 5 August.
“Hello Ann, I hope you’re well today and not too tired.
Transcribed voice note from a Tier 1 Sponsor to Ashworth imploring her to stay on as ROM
I think you are remarkable, you’ve done an amazing job – we’ve loved working with you. I think you can be so proud of what you’ve achieved. I don’t think anyone could take on what you took on in eight months and pull off what you have. You get shit done. You’ve tried to address obviously major, major deep-rooted issues.
Please don’t make any rash decisions.
If you were to go, it’s just not good for the sport and it’s not good for the event. As they say, ‘The only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.’ And you’re one of those good people but how can we help you?
We’ve loved working with you. We don’t want to see you go anywhere. We want to see you stay here – and try and conquer this thing together.”
The offer was accepted by the Chair and widely communicated at various forums. However, the ‘Board’ rejected the extension (one can guess at which members of the Board objected). There are various probable reasons why other Board members would not want Ashworth to stay on and none of them are good.
The contractual dispute was taken to the CCMA. A hearing on 23 July was postponed to 6 August 2024 due to being flagged as a ‘red line’ matter in terms of the CCMA manual and thus requiring of a senior arbitrator. A settlement has subsequently been reached between Ashworth and the CMA regarding the early termination of her extended contract. Ashworth has also reportedly withdrawn her application for the permanent position as ROM (submitted on 11 July), after it was made clear to her that her application would not seriously be considered.
A ROM should have two primary stakeholders to keep happy, the runners and the sponsors. The 2024 event was heralded as the “best ever” by most on social media who acknowledged the impact and influence that Ashworth, herself a former Comrades champion, had on the race. Similarly, the running community reacted with bewildered disbelief when Ashworth’s firing was announced (as did I, ultimately resulting in this series of investigative journalism articles).
No doubt the sponsors cannot be happy with these developments and resultant controversy. Ashworth, largely single-handedly, managed to bring two additional Tier 1 sponsors into the race (worth approximately R12million). Ashworth sold them on the dream of the build-up to the 100th running of Comrades in 2027. I reached out to the Tier 1 sponsors for comment and got one no response, one ‘no comment’ and one anonymous endorsement for Ashworth, “Ann was absolutely amazing and went over and above to create opportunities for the sponsors as well as delivered on each.” A further endorsement was received from one of the service providers, “I’ve worked under five race directors over my 21 years of managing the finish-line branding and this year was the best one I can remember!”
Ashworth responded to the “Departure of Comrades Race & Operations Manager” press release by posting a screenshot of her signed contract extension on social media. The CMA responded with a ‘cease and desist’ letter from their lawyers alleging that Ashworth’s publication of the signed acceptance letter was a breach of confidentiality and was defamatory (which seems a bit of a stretch).
Ashworth received the ‘cease and desist’ letter at 11am on 1 July*. However, by 6:30am that morning there was already a headline story, “Tensions at Comrades House after ugly spat”, in print in The Witness indicating that information was leaked, “A well-placed source told The Witness that the CMA is “expected” to counter possible legal action from Ashworth with charges that she had breached the confidentiality clause within her contract.” Cools has close personal friendships with senior staff at The Witness.
* The online version of this article is dated 2 July and can be found here: https://witness.co.za/news/kzn/2024/07/02/tensions-at-comrades-house-after-ugly-spat/
Ashworth was originally given a contract from 1 November 2023 to 30 June 2024. Whilst it was a fixed-term contract, there was an understanding that, should the role be performed successfully, she would be invited to reapply for the permanent position. Although there was no guarantee of further employment, Ashworth was confident enough to cease practice as an advocate and relocate from Johannesburg for the opportunity.
When I asked Comrades Chair, Mqondisi Ngcobo, for a comment about Ashworth’s performance prior to the 2024 race he said, “The Board is happy with Ann’s performance since taking over in November. Ann hit the ground running when she took over. She has an excellent work ethic.” After the race Ngcobo provided a number of glowing quotes about Ashworth’s role in the universally heralded success of the 2024 event in this Stephen Granger article: See the “Under new management – a review” section:
Before the race, I also asked Ngcobo about the likelihood of Ashworth’s contract being extended, “When Ann was appointed, we communicated to her that the Board had decided to appoint someone (Ann in this case) on an interim basis pending the appointment of a permanent ROM/RD. Due to the tight schedule and race preparations, we have not been able to advertise the position and will only go to the market post-race*. Ann remains our Race Operations Manager. We have however proposed a three-month extension to her contract but will only finalise everything after the race.”
* Meanwhile, almost two months after the 2024 event, the official job advertisement has still not been published.
The above response was received on 4 June. However, after Ashworth signed the 3-month extension on 13 June it was suddenly rejected on 25 June by the Board with the rationale (inter alia) that a social media post Ashworth had made in May indicated that she would not be staying on at the CMA and that the offer was therefore no longer valid. If this was the case, it certainly came as a surprise to the Comrades Chair who had already communicated Ashworth’s acceptance of the 3-month extension widely.
Furthermore it was explicitly announced at an Elders meeting (which includes all the former Comrades Chairs) on 17 June that Ashworth had accepted the 3-month extension and that her contract had, as a fact, been extended.
The question remains as to what changed in this short period of time between Ashworth signing the extension and the Comrades Chair and Vice Chair sharing this as good news in various forums. I have searched for a smoking gun and cannot find one. It is more likely that I should have searched for a knife of the backstabbing kind.
The two most likely scenarios, which are not mutually exclusive, are that Ngcobo and Burnard have lost control of their Board and that this was a move to protect the interests of Cools and the Gang of Four BIABs. Without Ashworth to enforce good governance or the disciplinary measures against Cools, many problems disappear for those compromised in unscrupulous practices and blatant corruption.
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Very good and well written investigative journalism Running Mann.
I just hope that this leads to the normalisation of Comrades as an entity, and checks and balances are put in place to see that it never happens again.
It is quite obvious that the ones you mention have no interest in running, their only interest is in being able to wield power, and extract what ever they can in terms of money or goods from the Comrades organisation. They are the ones who should be removed.