'The goal is to bring a new level of professionalism' - Sweeping changes to Comrades Board as Madiba's bodyguard, gold medalist & former chair elected

The group calling themselves the Comrades Collective enjoyed a landslide victory at yesterday's historic Comrades Marathon Association Elections. The elections which took place during the CMA Annual General Meeting in Pietermaritzburg, featured online participation for the first time in the 90km event’s 100-year-old history. Members in good standing who voted online did so from outside KwaZulu-Natal, after the courts upheld the resolution taken at the CMA Special General Meeting in August to allow membership from outside the province.

Winn (centre) smiles with new board members (from left) Leathers, Mashimane, Ngcobo, Gray, Mtolo, Marolen and Ngwenya as well Acting Race Operations Manager Alain Dalais (far right). Photo Credit: CMA Media.

Yesterday's election then was a watershed moment because it symbolised a change in the guard as The Ultimate Human Race will now be governed by a board whose members reside in Gauteng and the Western Cape. Backed by former CMA chair Cheryl Winn, the Comrades Collective took all seven of the nine board positions up for election as legal eagle Mark Leathers, multiple gold medalist Willie Mtolo, former chairperson Mnqondisi Ngcobo, founder of Central Gauteng club Urithi AC Brenda Marolen, Easy Equities Running Club founder Carel Nolte, Madiba’s former bodyguard Rory Steyn and Alan Gray.

Leathers who was instrumental in ensuring that CMA membership could be taken up by those living outside KwaZulu-Natal Athletics, when he acted on behalf of the members in the much publicised court battle that ensued between the CMA and KZNA after the SGM in August, believes that his election to the board will keep potentially costly legal battles to a minimum. 

Online voting overseen by IEC officials for CMA members who attended the meeting in person in Pietermaritzburg. Photo Credit: CMA Media.

"A legal background is needed on the board," said Leathers. "It is something that has been lacking. It will curtail any unnecessary disputes and also keep costs legal down. It’s an opportunity to give back. Every member of the Comrades Collective are busy people. Most are business owners and business directors and so on. The goal is to bring a new level of professionalism to what is the greatest ultra marathon on earth."

The seven new board members join Isaac Ngwenya and Nontuthuko Mashimane on the board. The pair were only elected at the beginning of the year, meaning that their positions were not up for election. The new board will now meet to choose a new chairperson and deputy.