Asking the Question by NORRIE WILLIAMSON
ASKING THE QUESTION
Asking the Question by NORRIE WILLIAMSON
Comrades Pure Gold
Saturday 30 November 2024 may go down in the history of the Comrades Marathon as the day the race , and the organization behind it , made the transition into a new era .
Over the period of two decades , the 103-year-old Comrades Marathon had failed to keep pace with international trends and changes , and was generally held back by a small grouping that felt they had in some way earned the right of ownership . Many of the transgressions by several of these players were highlighted by former Race & Operations Manager ( ROM ), Ann Ashworth , who carried the poisoned chalice from after the 2023 race to June 2024 , and the wellresearched and documented articles by The Running Mann . Without those two , there is every chance the misgivings of the average runner would have remained in dinner-table discussions for another decade . Fortunately , that ’ s not what happened .
What followed were extensive resignations , attempts by a KwaZulu-Natal Athletics ( KZNA ) Executive ( without council mandate ) to restrict membership and voting power , courtroom battles , a landmark Special General Meeting ( SGM ) and more exposé articles . And that all climaxed in an eight-hour Comrades Marathon Association ( CMA ) Annual General Meeting ( AGM ) on 30 November 2024 , where an incompetent ‘ appointed ’ board was replaced with a conglomerate of people with various talent and skills , who have the potential to take the race into the 2030 ’ s and beyond .
Facing Challenges
This meeting was faced with the twin challenges of innovation and poor preparation – and that is not just a simple selection of words . The previous board ’ s levels of incompetence were highlighted even in their confusion in understanding the basic proposals placed before them , and their lack of adherence to the constitutional requirements to discuss and present reports on those same proposals . One can only feel for Professor Mike Cowling , a quadruple Green Number , who appeared to have been dropped into chairing the constitutional motions . Off-microphone comments suggest that these had never been discussed prior to the meeting , which together with the very first attempt at online voting , resulted in a less than satisfactory experience .
Accompanying notes for a landmark AGM
A healthy number attended the AGM , both in-person or online
Although the first proposal had been split into two sections by the Prof , it was viewed as one item on the voting forms , and by most members of the board . Confusion was an understatement , and even raised the potential for a re-vote . Then , in attempting to speed things up , the IT brigade lumped all votes into one submission , which , due to the total lack of instruction to ‘ onliners ,’ confused the online people yet again . Many voted in one fell swoop , only to find these same matters later being unpacked as the day proceeded .
Virtually ignored both in terms of screen monitoring , and even by the inept chair when statements and appeals were aired , the online community , which outnumbered the in-person attendees of the meeting , largely accepted the clear lack of board preparation and foresight , and curtailed their own frustration as the meeting moved slowly towards the elections . This was the pathway to change , and removal of the rank incompetence of recent boards .
The Will of the People
By the election phase , most ‘ onliners ’ had grasped the basics and quickly voted , but the eight in-person voting booths provided were inadequate for the numbers . Never before had over 350 people been involved in a CMA AGM , and that is hopefully just the beginning of greater interactions between members in future AGMs . In spite of the challenges , this AGM initiated a much more democratic input to CMA matters , and this was reflected in the voting , which sees an entirely new board into 2025 .
With 14 people standing for election for seven available positions on the board , the |
results were decisive . With a possibility of 382 votes per candidate , the leading seven |
secured the following results : |
1 . |
Mark Leathers ( KZN ) |
278 votes ( 72.77 %) |
2 . |
Willie Mtolo ( KZN ) |
254 votes ( 66.49 %) |
3 . |
Mqondisi Ngcobo ( KZN ) |
240 votes ( 63.35 %) |
4 . |
Brenda Marolen ( GCA ) |
240 votes ( 62.83 %) |
5 . |
Carel Nortje ( CGA / WP ) |
228 votes ( 59.64 %) |
6 . |
Rory Steyn ( CGA ) |
222 votes ( 58.12 %) |
7 . |
Alan Gray ( KZN ) |
207 votes ( 54.19 %) |
Images : Courtesy Comrades Marathon Association
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Acting ROM Alain ISSUE 175 | www . modernathlete . co . za Dalais will be allowed to get on with the job