ASKING THE QUESTION
C o l u m n
The next best nominee secured 145 votes ( 37.96 %), and the lowest tally of votes for an individual nominee was 73 ( 19.11 %). This shows that all seven of the successful candidates garnered over 200 votes , and enjoy more than 50 % of the support of the voting members of the CMA , giving this board a clear mandate to begin a new era for the event . That said , the return to office of past Chair of the board , Mqondisi Ncgobo , will bring a vital level of continuity that should be embraced by the new board members , and he , in turn , will now have the opportunity to show his ability to stand , with support , in favour of good governance and the standards required by the constitution .
The Comrades can look forward to the start of a new era in 2025
These new board members join two existing board members , Isaac Ngwenya and Nontuthuko Mashimane , who will continue to serve their terms . The Presidents of both Athletics South Africa ( ASA ), James Moloi , and KZNA , Steve Mkasi , also retain their seats on the Board – more on that shortly – and in accordance with the CMA Constitution , two further board members may be co-opted at the discretion of the Board . The new Chairperson and Vice Chairperson will be decided at the first Board meeting .
The seven successful candidates all belong to a grouping called the Comrades Collective , a multi-skilled , highly experienced group who not only understand both the legal and business aspects of the race , but also have sufficient Comrades finishes or attempts to identify with both the elite and mass runner . The initiation of the Comrades Collective movement resulted from outcries on incorrectly calculated cut-off times , safety concerns at the start and on the route , and the return to a finish venue that the CMA itself had declared unfit for purpose . Then followed the uncovering of manipulation of voting , unauthorised payments , a lack of governance , the unauthorised use of CMA property , as well as charges made against the media manager , etc .
Noteworthy is that all members of the Comrades Collective submitted to voluntary integrity and criminal screening , and though costly , this was seen as an important step , and was undertaken in a similar process to how World Athletics has approached all candidates , appointments and contracts linked to the world body since 2017 . ( Sidenote : One is left asking why this has not yet been adopted by ASA and all the provincial athletics bodies after seven years ? Would that not be an important consideration for the confidence of members and sponsors ?)
The Next Steps
The first and immediate task for the new board members was to identify their own Chair and Vice Chair – they appointed Mqondisi Ngcobo as Chair , with Mark Leathers as Vice Chair – and to consider the co-option of people who add further skills . Within the collective are others who could expand the diversity of skills on the board , including the likes of Barry Holland , the 49-time Comrades finisher and organiser of many events , as well as Jack Davis , the Chief Operating Officer of Africa ’ s most awarded sports agency , whose areas of expertise include marketing , advertising , broadcasting , content production , and sponsorship acquisition and activation . He was also the co-executive producer of Down , A Comrades Story .
Additionally , there are others in the grouping who can add to the skillsets in these and other fields . This was actually one of the biggest wins of the entire process , as it saw various people put their names forward to offer assistance in all aspects of the Comrades .
The fact is that the Comrades Collective ’ s big win in these board elections has sparked widespread celebrations within the running community , but this must be seen in a holistic light . No matter who is on the board , it requires the board to drive change … because just controlling the board cannot be the mission . The real mission is the future of Comrades as a race , and that requires the board to determine a vision , first for 2025 , then the 2027 centenary , and then into the 2030s . That said , a giant difference in operation will result from the AGM having passed the motion that neither KZNA nor ASA representatives on the board will have voting rights , but ( correctly ) will have seats on the board to provide guidance on the operation of athletics in the country and province .
Implementation Freedom
While the board will need to formalise and speed up various independent investigations , the critical direction will be to review the principle objectives of next year ’ s race . 2025 is the last Down Run prior to the 2027 centenary race , which must become the flagship for the relaunch of Comrades into its second century . This requires analysis and planning that will bring the race up to world standards , and address safety and logistical issues that are way off international norms and standards .
With the festive close-down just a handful of weeks away , the motion adopted in the AGM that board members cannot serve on the implementation committees means that current acting ROM , Alain Dalais , must be officially given the freedom to assemble his required committees and forge ahead with the 2025 plans , free of the interference that came from some previous board members throwing their weight around on the basis of position , and not logic or experience .
If the objective is to have more people on the road by 2027 , then safety , medical care , and runner experience must be forefront . That is going to require the initiation of considerable changes , and the 2025 event is the final opportunity to do the testing and research for such moves . Also , this requires the acceptance and co-operation of many of the portfolio holders and volunteers , many of whom will never have experienced the necessary techniques for successful wave starts , multiple cut-offs , medal distribution and medical implementation at the current expectation levels . These changes will require a high level of trust from all involved , and present Alain with challenges that no other ROM has had to deal with in recent years .
Meanwhile , as much as the new board needs to address governance , vision , sponsor confidence , rebuilding relations with the federation , and a veritable bucketload of other tasks , its primary focus may have to be in building the structure and teams to take the race into 2025 on such short notice . It will be particularly interesting to see the enthusiasm with which the staff and race volunteers embrace the new board , given that only two of the previous regime remain on the board , and the voting
The new board is here , and there ’ s no turning back now …
21