CMA SGM: My vote is not a secret

This is how I voted ahead of the SGM on 1 August and why I believe it’s in the best interests of the Comrades Marathon to secede (for now anyway).

The benefit to Comrades is clear and obvious. Withdrawing comes with little or no drawbacks.

In the past, KZNA has claimed their 10% “mafia protection fee racket” entry fee tax for doing nothing (certainly nothing visibly positive). Whilst there is no legal obligation for the CMA to pay the R3 million that KZNA is claiming from the 2026 event (as the CMA has formally withdrawn from KZNA after the November 2025 CMA AGM), reaffiliation would reinstate KZNA’s “money for nothing” dowry claim for the 2027 event.

The savings from no longer being obligated to pay dowry is a big one and could be used by the CMA, a non-profit organisation whose directors are unpaid, to reduce entry fees or increase prize money. However, the stated intention of the board is to ringfence an amount larger than the current 10% and ensure it goes directly into South African athletics development.

The specifics would need to be ironed out but the possibilities are endless like providing full funding to provincial or national teams and upgrading dilapidated athletics facilities like the Kings Park athletics track. ASA has been unable to send a national team to the 50k or 100k World Championships (WCs) for several years (and when athletes arrived at the airport in 2023 to travel to the 50k WCs they were left stranded as no tickets had been bought or visas obtained).

Money continuously disappears at ASA and KZNA. The money that does manage to reach grassroots athletics development is cents on the dollar. I would estimate that far less than 10 cents for every rand that enters the ASA and KZNA coffers sees its way into any meaningful athletics usage. I would much rather CMA administers and accounts for several million rands towards athletics development than allowing thieving administrators to support their lifestyles.

One other option would be for CMA to enter into a sponsorship agreement with ASA or KZNA similar to those that corporate sponsors enter into with a race like Comrades. Contracts are legally binding and if the terms of the sponsorship are breached the contract becomes null and void.

Acting ASA president John Mathane has recently made some wild claims in the media. Speaking to the SABC, Mathane warned that, “Comrades Marathon cannot become a fun run.” Comrades is a lot of things but it will never be a “fun run”. However, it will certainly be a lot more enjoyable for the runners and the organisers without ASA’s nefarious meddling.

In the same article Mathane is quoted as saying, “… the only thing that needs to happen is the Comrades Marathon Association must learn to respect the provincial and national affiliates.” And later that, “People should respect the regulations stipulated by Athletics South Africa.” That is the problem with most of athletics leadership, a failure to recognise that respect is earned and trust is gained. It does not come automatically with a title whether you are the acting ASA president or provisional ringmaster of the Boswell Wilkie Circus.

There is plenty of legal precedent with the Pedal Power Association defeating Cycling South Africa (with costs) and WaterPoloSA defeating SwimSA (also with costs) that the CMA has every legal right to exist independently from ASA and KZNA should they so choose.

In addition, the evidence is right in front of us with the 50,000 participants of the East Coast Radio Big Walk in Durban and 702 Walk the Talk in Johannesburg that you can host mass participation events without being “sanctioned” by a provincial athletics federation. Both these events received legal threats from provincial federations and have bravely stood their ground.

There has been no follow through from KZNA or CGA because they will lose in court and their house of cards will come crashing down when other events realise that they don’t have to pay the mafia protection fee and get nothing in return apart from a large waddle of politicians feasting their faces in your VIP area.

Mathane has also recently entered into an ill-advised public spat with Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie which does not look like it’s going to end well for him. Since assuming the acting presidency of ASA, he has made one strategic blunder after another and could not be more out of his depth if he was spotted swimming over the Mariana Trench at high tide. Unfortunately, it is likely that after Mathane drowns in a cesspool of his own making, he will just be replaced by another equally incompetent, belligerent and entitled successor.

Watch: John Mathane tells Gayton McKenzie that he must “call me and apologise“:

Watch: Gayton McKenzie declines Mathane’s invitiation.

ASA and KZNA have been a malignant, parasitic cancer festering in almost everything they touch. Comrades is still recoiling from their touch. ASA and KZNA just create nonsense work, issues and problems for the organisers which detract them from other more important and valuable tasks. The reason why SABC did not have their own broadcast feed at this year’s Comrades was largely due to ASA incompetence. ASA incompetence meant that live television coverage of this year’s Two Oceans Marathon was only guaranteed at the 11^th hour.

There have been some threats and fearmongering from ASA and KZNA which are easily countered. Any marathon can still be used as a qualifier (as it is today), banning anyone who runs Comrades from running ASA affiliated races would be unconstitutional, World Athletics rules can be used by anyone if they wish (they are not copyrighted), routes can be measured and technical officials can be appointed without ASA involvement, and drug testing can still be done using SAIDS or private labs.

Comrades is not run over a standardised distance so the WA affiliation reason is also trite. The worst that can happen on this score is that Comrades loses its IAU Gold Label status but that is just a trinket. ASA could decide not to select any Comrades runners for the national team but they have not sent a team to the 50k or 100k WCs for several years in any case. You can also run the WCs as a private individual so CMA could choose to fund South African Comrades gold medallists to run the WCs as independents.

Seceding from ASA and KZNA at the 1 August SGM is also easily reversible should systematic changes occur in future that enable a mutually beneficial partnership. Should the CMA secede on Saturday, the CMA will be able to negotiate a new partnership from a position of strength ensuring that the event is not compromised by the corrupt, the inept and the negligent.

In fact, I personally do hope that a mutually beneficial arrangement is found in the future but I cannot see that happening any time soon with the collection of clowns currently clamouring for attention in the athletics circus. We can always hope but it’s best not to invite your drunk, racist uncle to family events until there’s an extended period of sobriety and he proves that he can keep his pants on in public.

As South Africans we deal with a lot. We are used to getting second rate service delivery from third rate politicians. It’s rare that we get the opportunity to push back against corruption, bullying and entitlement. 8000 CMA members have a chance to do just that on secession Saturday.

We have the chance to show meddling politicians that we won’t give into their fearmongering. We have the chance to show arrogant leaders that we won’t give into their belligerent bullying. We have the chance to show incompetent bureaucrats that we won’t want to fund their lifestyles. We have the chance to show the entitled administrators that we won’t allow them to tarnish a true South African treasure.

Your vote is your voice. It’s time to scare off the molesters and abusers with a loud and unified shout, “Hands off Comrades.” This is our race. This is our children’s legacy. This is our moment to stand up against corruption, negligence and incompetence. It’s up to us to protect the future of the Ultimate Human Race.

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