On 17 July Central Gauteng Athletics issued a statement indicating that Soweto Marathon prize winners could expect to receive partial payment of their prize money. The Daily Maverick reported that the source of the “limited funds” were from “the 2024 Soweto Marathon [that] are currently available and are being held by the Gauteng Sports Confederation (GSC).”
The CGA statement also stated, “Although the available funds are insufficient to settle the outstanding prize money in full, CGA has committed to facilitating the distribution of the available funds to affected athletes as soon as reasonably possible, while continuing its efforts to secure payment of the outstanding balance”
However, almost two months after that statement (and approaching a year after the race itself) no athlete has seen a cent of any prize money.
Having confirmed this with representatives of two of the largest elite clubs in South Africa, Hollywood and Nedbank, that none of their athletes had received any payment or further communication I asked CGA General Manager Mandla Rathebe for comment.
Rathebe told me:
“I can confirm that the process relating to the partial payment of the outstanding 2025 Soweto Marathon prize money is still ongoing.”
“As previously communicated, limited Soweto Marathon funds have been identified at GSC. CGA is having ongoing engagements with relevant stakeholders to move these funds toward the outstanding athlete prize money.”
“At this stage, the matter has not yet been concluded. CGA remains actively engaged with the relevant parties and is working to bring the process to conclusion as soon as reasonably possible.”
“Our position remains clear that athletes who are legitimately owed prize money should receive payment due to them, subject to the completion of the necessary processes and confirmations.”
“We will provide a further update once the process concludes and payment arrangements are confirmed.”
The old saying, ‘In God we trust, all others bring cash’ springs to mind.
When I asked about the planned timeline for the partial payment to occur and whether the 2026 edition of the Soweto Marathon was likely to go ahead, I received the following reply, “Unfortunately there is no timeline as the engagements are ongoing.”
Ironically, considering the lack of money to pay the winners, the 2025 Soweto Marathon was sponsored by African Bank. African Bank made it clear that they had paid across all sponsorship money to the organisers begging the question as to where it all went.
The catch-22 situation now is that without a 2026 event there is never likely to be money to pay the athletes but until the athletes are paid there can be no 2026 event. It is also very unlikely that any corporate sponsor will go near Soweto Marathon unless there is a major overhaul in administration and a proven track record of success.
This comes off the back of the revelation that the popular City to City Marathon was not cancelled due to lack of sponsorship as previously claimed but because of greed and incompetence from Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) and CGA administrators. Plus27 Events had offered to take on all costs and risk on a profit share basis but AGN / CGA asked for more money, complete organisational control and delayed decision-making to the point that the race could not be organised.
READ MORE: The Real Reason City to City was Cancelled: Greed & Incompetence
The continued issuing of ’empty promise’, platitude-riddled press statements without any actual follow-up actions have plagued Athletics South Africa (ASA) and various provincial children federations with the most notable example being the KwaZulu Natal Athletics (KZNA) / Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) debacle. Based on current performance, the CMA looks to have dodged a bullet by going ‘federation free’ for their centenary event in 2027.
The Soweto Marathon hit its peak in 2019 with 9,274 marathon finishers and should have been the first marathon in South Africa to crack the 10,000 mark (an accolade that eventually went to the Cape Town Marathon in 2023). With almost half of the Comrades and Two Oceans ultra marathon runners living in Gauteng and a deeply historic route, the event had the potential to be South Africa’s version of the London Marathon.
Sadly, what was once the largest marathon in South Africa looks set to be another event destined for the scrap heap. Yet another casualty of greed, incompetence and maladministration. The People’s Race has been stolen by the politicians.
Our administrators like to blow their own vuvuzelas but don’t hold your breath, the tunes they play are empty promises. They’ll still feast well tonight while our athletes go home with empty pockets.
READ MORE: Soweto Marathon (Ubuntu for the average middle-class white guy)
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Eisj, whatever you sow, you will reap!
There is possibly a fancy Italian super car parked in someone’s garage.
There must have been a time, a long long time ago, when these associations actually added some kind of value to sport, I imagine.