Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 123, October 2019 | Page 7

LETTERS
Couldn’t have said it better myself! Since I began running in 1995, I have met
thousands upon thousands of friendly, supportive, helpful and inspiring fellow
runners. It really is a wonderful community to be part of! – Ed
APPEALING FOR HELP
Well-worn running shoes of the
young runners from Mdantsane
JAMMED BY THE TRAFFIC OFFICIALS
I would like to raise a point after the recent Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. I was
due to help at a water station in Albert Road, in lower Woodstock, right at Lower
Church Road, and thus checked the official event info about road closures, so
that I could plan my drive. When I read that Lower Church road would only close
at 7:35am, I decided I didn’t need to be there at 5:30am, as some people were
advising, but could get there closer to 7am and still have plenty of time before the
first athletes came through around 8:30am.
My name is Mpho Betsha, Team Manager of an athlete development programme
which I am seeking to raise funds for. The development programme is operating
under a Non-Profit Company, namely L. Hejana and Development Fund, which was
established by Luthando Hejana, a well-known road runner based in a township
called Mdantsane, in East London in the Eastern Cape.
Through his passion, Luthando took on developing young athletes who stem
from disadvantaged backgrounds. Over the years, he has personally developed
himself as a seasoned and successful runner, without permanent assistance of a
professional mentor or coach. Through dedication, he has been able to acquire
numerous skills on how to apply his trade in a meaningful way.
He identified the raw talent in Mdantsane and believed that with the correct
training, the children would be able to carve out successful careers from the sport.
Formal training began in March 2016, and takes place every day after school at
the NU6 sports field, with the main vision of helping to keep the youth out of drug
abuse and gangsterism, by promoting an active and healthy lifestyle. The team
currently comprises 15 boys and girls from ages 8 to 19 years.
This development work has become a source of hope for many of the athletes,
providing running gear, a sound meal during training or races, nutrition, and
transportation and/or accommodation to the various events. The survival of the
team depends entirely on the generosity and support from our community at
large, so we are appealing
to the running community at
large to please assist via our
fundraising page: https://
gogetfunding.com/l-hejana-
and-development-fund.
– Mpho Betsha, via e-mail
Well, I got there at 6:40am, but when I turned off the N1 and tried to go the short
distance from the highway to Albert Road, I found the traffic officers had already
closed Lower Church, even though the road sign on the highway advertised the
closure at 7:35am. I tried to explain to the two officers on the bridge that I just
needed to go a short distance further, and I showed them my official route access
pass, but the two officers told me their Inspector had ordered the road closed and
told them nobody could pass.
I ended up parking my car in a seriously dodgy-looking industrial area nearby and
using a pedestrian bridge over the railway to walk up to Albert Road, and found the
main road was still open, with traffic flowing in both directions. So just why I had
not been allowed to go another 60 metres was beyond me!
While walking down Albert road, I said hello to another traffic officer, who asked
me why I looked a bit lost. I explained why I was walking, and where I had left my
car, and he immediately said it wasn’t safe there, so he got onto the radio to the
Inspector, then the two officers up on the bridge, and within two minutes I had
permission to go move my car and drive it to the water station.
I know the traffic officials were just following orders, but the fact that somebody,
somewhere, changed the published and widely advertised road closure details
caught people unawares, and I hope the event organisers will take this up with the
relevant people in charge. – Ben, Bellville
I have also had some interesting conversations with traffic officials over the
years while trying to get to commentary positions on race routes. I think traffic
officials have a thankless job, and really deserve thanks for all that they do for
our sport, often in the very early cold, dark hours of the morning, but I also think
that advertised road closure plans should be stuck to once published. – Ed
All over SA there are
dedicated people doing
incredible work with the
youth, developing their
running talent while also
helping these kids with
education, life skills,
nutrition, equipment,
resources to be able to
compete, and good life
choices. I hope readers will
be able to support this call
for assistance, even if just
with a small donation. – Ed
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