There is a light at the end of the tunnel for the 2024 winners of the now defunct Mpumalanga Marathon.
After waiting almost 20 months for their R1m prize money, there is now a possibility that Jobo Khatoane of Maxed Elite Club in Lesotho and Tadu Nare of Ethiopia, the men’s and women’s race winners, will finally be paid.
John Mathane, acting president of Athletics South Africa (ASA), said on Friday, May 8, that a request will be submitted to the national government to intervene in the matter.
ALSO READ: Unpaid millions: Mpumalanga Marathon organisers face class action
The Mpumalanga Marathon hit the headlines in October 2024 when the race organiser, Caleb Lekhuleni, could not pay the prize money of around R3m.
Lekhuleni owes athletes
In total, Lekhuleni owes athletes and suppliers for the 2024 event more than R5m.
At the time, he first claimed he was waiting for the results of the athletes’ doping tests. Then he said he was struggling to get a Section 18A certificate from SARS.
This document allows organisers to receive money from sponsors, and sponsors can, in return, claim the donation back from SARS.
ALSO READ: The sun rises on Mpumalanga’s ‘million-rand marathon’
Lowvelder eventually discovered that there were no cash sponsors, any financial backing, or any money in the bank to make payments.
It turned out Lekhuleni was lying about receiving millions from sponsors.
Still needs to find cash
He admitted to Lowvelder that he still needed to find the cash and that the claim he made that money was paid into a lawyer’s trust account was not true.
ALSO READ: Tax issue results in marathon owing R1.4m to suppliers
Cases of fraud opened
Cases of fraud were opened against Lekhuleni by Athletics Mpumalanga (AMpu), ASA, and Abigale Davis of Unity Technologies, a local marathon promotion company.
Early in 2025, AMpu and ASA banned Lekhuleni from ever hosting any marathon again. ASA also warned athletes not to take part in marathons that are not sanctioned by the federation.
Speaking from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Belay Alemayehu, Nare’s manager said over the weekend that neither Nare nor Khatoane had received any money yet.
“We are aware of the arrangements about the 2025 Soweto Marathon payments,” he said. “We hope ASA’s intervention to possibly assist in paying our runners materialises.”
He emphasised that the group of unpaid runners is still in the process of taking legal action against AMpu and ASA.
‘The people’s race’
Mathane’s request for assistance follows an announcement last week by Gayton McKenzie, the minister of sport, arts and culture, that his department would pick up the tab for prize money of the 2025 Soweto Marathon podium finishers.
The Soweto Marathon, also known as ‘The people’s race’ fell flat in November last year when the organisers could not pay the podium finishers.
“We [ASA] will ask the minister to [consider] adding the prize winners of the Mpumalanga Marathon in this deal,” he said during a press briefing. “Let me be clear. There will be no tolerance for poor governance, administrative failure, financial misconduct, or lack of accountability in Athletics South Africa.”
Despite facing criminal charges and being banned from hosting marathons, Lekhuleni earlier this year started promoting the 2026 ‘Mpumalanga R1m’ event.
Since Lowvelder published this in March, all has gone quiet.
A source at a local running clubs, who requested not to be named, said Lekhuleni told him he (Lekhuleni) recently had a meeting with the Mbombela municipality to try and convince them to be the headline sponsor.
Joseph Ngala, spokesperson for the CoM, told Lowvelder that the municipality was not aware of such a meeting.
Lowvelder attempted to obtain comment from Lekhuleni.
Although the questions sent to him were marked as read, he had not responded by the time of publication.
On March 4, Lekhuleni sent a message to Lowvelder, stating: “Me personally I’ll still push for the million rand that’s what set us apart, giving us the international status….it’s like $55,000. If ASA or AMPU refuse I’ll fundraise and keep the standard where it was…” (sic).
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Bertus de Bruyn
www.citizen.co.za
