Humorous Anecdotes, Observations & Accounts of Marathon Running & Agile Adventures.
After all the controversy surrounding Board level corruption, maladministration and incompetence, the announced list of Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Board nominees was eagerly anticipated.
The good news is that there is plenty of choice with 21 nominees for the 7 available Board positions including plenty of fresh blood amongst a handful of the usual suspects. I have grouped the nominees into three categories and provided some context below.
KZNA’s decision to oppose the High Court interdict securing all CMA members’ participation rights regardless of domicile is likely to cost the organisation around R500,000. The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA), on advice from their internal and external legal counsel, have already withdrawn their opposition unconditionally. In various media interviews, KZNA President Steve Mkasi has yet to provide a coherent reason for their opposition to the democratic process that has been followed at the CMA for 43 years without previous issue.
Continue reading “Constitution Flouted: More Bad Debts on the Way for KZNA?”
Whilst KZNA President, Steve Mkasi, has criticised a large group of concerned CMA Members from going to court to protect their democratic rights, Mkasi himself has a long history of litigation. However, unlike the CMA Members who were forced into (and were granted) an urgent High Court interdict by the actions of Mkasi and KZNA, Mkasi’s prior court actions were “frivolous and vexatious”. This according to former KZNA President Sello Mokoena. In addition, Mkasi still owes KZNA R386,000 from a 2015 court judgement which has not yet been paid.
Continue reading “Time for Mkasi to “Pay Back the Money” to KZNA?”
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.
Continue reading “The Idiots Guide to the Domicilium Rule (also applicable to KZNA & interim CMA Board members)”
Summary: Three weeks ago interim CMA Chair Jeff Minnaar claimed that investigations into allegations of corruption, maladministration and incompetence against certain Board members and staff and were underway. However, key witnesses like former Chair Mqondisi Ngcobo and Race & Operations Manager Ann Ashworth have yet to be contacted. This raises serious questions about the legitimacy of the alleged investigations. The article also provides an unemotional list of the credible allegations against CMA Board members and staff.
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.
Continue reading “Corruption, Maladministration & Incompetence: A Comrades Charge Sheet”
KwaZulu Natal Athletics, under the presidency of Steve Mkasi, suffered another embarrassing legal defeat today at the Pietermaritzburg High Court after trying to get the urgent interdict allowing non-KZN residents to participate and vote in Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) matters dismissed. In what can be seen as a victory for the democratic process, Acting Justice Khuzwayo ruled in favour of the CMA Members which means that the urgent interdict remains in place and all CMA Members can participate at the forthcoming AGM due to be held on 30 November.
The case between the CMA and KZNA returned to the high court this morning. The CMA Members, represented by attorney Mark Leathers and advocate Cas Pretorious (both of whom are Comrades runners), had originally received an urgent interdict on 14 August to allow non-KZN residents to attend and vote at the Comrades SGM which was held on 15 August.
Continue reading “KZNA Gets Another High Court Smackdown”
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.”
Continue reading “Cyber Bully to you CMA (and the sad state of journalism)”
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.
At a KwaZulu Natal Athletics KZNA (Board meeting) on 25 July, a decision was made to bar non-KwaZulu Natal residents from being Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Members.
The meeting seems to have had only this item on the agenda and the discussion, in what appears to be a flagrant conflict of interest, was driven by KZNA President and Comrades Board member Steve Mkasi. The other main contributors to the discussion were Deputy KZNA President Mandla Mngomezulu and KZNA Board Member Vusumuzi Dlamini.
Continue reading “KZNA says “No More” to upcountry CMA Memberships”
In writing my monthly marathon articles, I normally find that there is high correlation between the responsiveness of race organisers and the overall organisational quality of their race. When I get no response to my enquiries the alarm bells go off.
The organisers of the Durban City Marathon are the Durban City Multi Sport Club. This club seems to have successfully avoided leaving any digital footprint, with a Google search producing zero hits. The club had no entrants at this year’s Two Oceans Marathon and only three finishers at the last Comrades Marathon.
On face value this does not seem like the kind of club that would be given the organisation rights to the flagship marathon in South Africa’s third largest city. However, this is the club that most of the technical officials in KZN Athletics belong to. I am not sure if they have a club motto but if they do, I would not be surprised if it’s, “Do as I say, not as I do.”
Things you do: A straw to suck up some delicious rain water (#CarryYourOwn KZN-style)
There was definitely something fishy with this race…
Continue reading “Durban City Marathon (Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink)”