The world’s most famous ultra-distance race, KZN’s Comrades Marathon, is hosting an acrimonious battle between runners and the race’s board of directors who are accused of industrial-scale corruption. The catalyst was an allegedly unfair dismissal of admired race manager Ann Ashworth after she exposed blatant skimming by board members of cash meant to be invested in sports development. A special general meeting will be held in Pietermaritzburg this week with its instigators intending to oust two of four board members accused of lining their own pockets. Comrades veteran and blogger Stuart Mann shared the story with BizNews editor Alec Hogg.
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Highlights from the interview
In a recent interview, Alec Hogg spoke with Stuart Mann, an avid runner and blogger known as “Running Mann,” about the ongoing challenges facing the Comrades Marathon. Mann highlighted concerns over the race’s administration, suggesting that some board members may be acting in their self-interest rather than prioritizing the event’s integrity. He emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability, especially given the significance of the Comrades Marathon in South Africa’s sporting landscape.
Mann expressed disappointment that despite the unity among runners, the issue hasn’t received the necessary media attention. He noted that legal actions, such as a High Court interdict, are being pursued pro bono by lawyers who believe in preserving the marathon’s legacy. Mann remains hopeful that with increased media coverage and public pressure, necessary changes will be implemented to protect the event from further corruption.
The discussion also touched on the broader context of governance in South Africa, with Hogg noting the shift toward more responsible and active citizenship. Mann, who has completed ten Comrades Marathons, hinted at the possibility of participating in the 100th race in 2027, contingent on the future state of the event’s leadership.
Edited transcript of the interview ___STEADY_PAYWALL___
00:00:08:21 – 00:00:34:05
Alec Hogg:
Well, having spent a fair bit of my life growing up in KwaZulu-Natal, schooling in Maritzburg, and a year at Maritzburg University, I know all about the excitement of the Comrades Marathon. It’s something that, well, has the attention of all the runners in South Africa and many other parts of the world as well. But there’s a very unhappy situation happening at the moment with this very famous race.
00:00:34:06 – 00:01:01:15
Alec Hogg:
We’re going to talk to Stuart Mann, who is deeply embedded in the running community. He’s a very well-known blogger, with a wonderful nom de plume, “The Running Mann.” He’ll be bringing us up to date on exactly what’s going on at the Comrades Association and who the individuals are who are causing such disruptions.
00:01:01:17 – 00:01:17:19
Alec Hogg:
Stuart, thanks for joining me. And perhaps we can kick off at the beginning. I got an email from my good friend Rory Steyn, who is a green number in the Comrades. I don’t know what that means, but I guess it is something important. Could you just unpack that for us?
00:01:17:21 – 00:01:35:16
Stuart Mann:
Yeah, green numbers are very important. A green number means you’ve successfully completed the Comrades Marathon ten times, and you get your own permanent green number. That’s yours for life. Actually, it’s even yours after you die, so no one else can take it. It’s definitely worn as a badge of honor amongst the running community.
00:01:35:18 – 00:01:53:01
Alec Hogg:
Now, for those of us who haven’t participated in the race, it is famous. We’ve watched it on television. It’s something that is in the national consciousness. But where does it all come from? Maybe give us a nutshell overview of where the Comrades Marathon started.
00:01:53:03 – 00:02:18:10
Stuart Mann:
It started in 1921 by a guy called Vic Clapham, who was a soldier. The race was essentially to commemorate fallen comrades from the First World War. It was a fairly small event until the 1970s when it started picking up steam, and then it eventually exploded. It’s by far the largest ultramarathon in the world. There are very few ultramarathons that get over a thousand finishers, and nearly all of the ones that do are in South Africa. Most of the others are because people are training for the Comrades Marathon. So, yeah, this year, you’ve got over 20,000 people participating. It’s just absolutely incredible, from all walks of life. It’s a great leveler. It’s just a phenomenal South African event.
00:02:38:18 – 00:02:54:23
Stuart Mann:
And it’s something totally unique in world sport. In fact, I think the last 5 or 10 minutes of the Comrades before the final cut-off is the most-watched sporting event in the world where non-professionals are involved—just an absolutely incredible event.
00:02:55:01 – 00:03:03:16
Alec Hogg:
And what’s going on at the moment that is causing so much unhappiness among those people who are so passionate about the race?
00:03:03:18 – 00:03:26:05
Stuart Mann:
So, yeah, essentially, you’ve got a Comrades board, and they’re supposed to be the custodians of this great event, looking after it for the history and the traditions, as well as for the runners, current and future. Unfortunately, all evidence points to the fact that there are at least four board members who are corrupt and working in their own self-interest against the interests of the race. In some cases, it’s deliberate sabotage. In some cases, it’s corruption. In other cases, it’s just incompetence and ineptitude. What’s happening now is that they’ve been found out, and they are trying to cling to power, doing absolutely everything against the interests of the race, the running community, and making some really dubious decisions to hang on to their positions.
00:03:51:03 – 00:03:53:12
Alec Hogg:
And what’s the running community doing about it?
00:03:53:14 – 00:04:31:01
Stuart Mann:
There’s been a special general meeting called. There were two big catalysts that happened. The first was Ann Ashworth coming in as race and operations manager after Rowyn James, who resigned after the 2023 event, which was full of controversy. By all accounts, the running community had a consensus that she did an absolutely fantastic job in elevating the performance and the race-day experience for runners. Then in late June, she was essentially fired, much to the surprise of everyone. Suddenly, you’ve got someone doing a great job, with great responses. Fantastic, right? As a race manager, you’re trying to keep the runners happy, you’re trying to keep the sponsors happy. If both are happy, your job should be secure. Unfortunately for Ashworth, that wasn’t the case.
00:04:50:01 – 00:05:22:17
Stuart Mann:
And just around the same time, what happened was one of the board members had a racist WhatsApp message leaked. That also erupted into a social media storm. The Comrades board decided not to suspend their board member for the racist message. According to the constitution of the Comrades Marathon Association, if 25 members call for a special general meeting, it must be held. That’s exactly what happened. In fact, there were a lot more than 25 members who called for it, and they probably could have had many more if they really wanted to. The special general meeting is set to take place tomorrow evening at 6:00. In the run-up to that, there have been all sorts of dirty tricks by those in power.
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00:05:40:19 – 00:06:10:00
Stuart Mann:
So, essentially, Athletics South Africa, who have a seat on the board of the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA), have issued an edict, which is illegal, totally illegal and unlawful, that out-of-province CMA members—Comrades Marathon Association members—are allowed to attend but not allowed to speak. This is obviously blatant gerrymandering and totally ideological.
00:06:10:05 – 00:06:14:22
Stuart Mann:
And the logic by which they claim to do this is totally flawed as well.
00:06:15:00 – 00:06:22:18
Alec Hogg:
Just give us an understanding of why this would be important. How many of the CMA members are from out of province?
00:06:22:20 – 00:06:42:18
Stuart Mann:
It’s hard to get an official figure because I’ve tried to work it out. I did get some information from various sources while writing the articles, but I don’t have the exact current number. If I had to estimate, there’s probably about 1,200 CMA members, which is the largest ever. A lot of that has been driven by a push for additional membership.
00:06:42:20 – 00:07:00:21
Stuart Mann:
That drive for membership has not been targeted at one specific race, contrary to what the Comrades board will no doubt try to argue. Just as an illustration of this, it was made very prominent at Comrades registration, trying to get all runners to register. So, they’re trying to up the numbers.
00:07:00:23 – 00:07:28:22
Stuart Mann:
Of those 1,200, about 200 to 210 are what looks to be bulk-purchased memberships. It’s about 100 rand a year to join. These memberships are paid for in bulk out of the community marshal’s portfolio, which, by all accounts, seems to be exploiting the poor and impoverished communities—essentially buying votes on their behalf and then using them to keep certain people in power.
00:07:29:00 – 00:07:47:13
Stuart Mann:
Of the remaining, let’s say 1,000, my best guess would be it’s probably about 40% out-of-town, out-of-province, and with some international members. It might be slightly more, might be slightly less, but that’s probably about the right ratio.
00:07:47:18 – 00:08:16:17
Alec Hogg:
So those 40% who live outside of KZN, presumably quite a few of them are going to attend the special general meeting, which, just for those who are picking up this interview later, is on Thursday, the 15th of August. They won’t be allowed to vote even though they paid for the tickets and so on? Or, let’s put that on the side for now because I think the real point here is, who are these guys?
00:08:16:17 – 00:08:34:09
Alec Hogg:
How do they get into a position of such power? Are these really good runners? Is Bruce Fordyce among the board members, for instance? And what gives them the incentive to retain power at just about any cost?
00:08:34:11 – 00:08:52:18
Stuart Mann:
Yes, so I guess it’s a variety of people that are there. Some of them are current runners, some of them are former runners, and some of them have never run. So why someone who has never run would want to be—and deserves to be—on the board of the Comrades Marathon is obviously questionable.
00:08:52:19 – 00:09:16:03
Stuart Mann:
As for why they would want to stay on, the board membership is not a paid position, but obviously, there is access to certain things. It definitely looks like some people are skimming off the top. Particularly if you look at the community marshal’s portfolio, one of the reasons why Ann Ashworth was fired was that she tried to put proper governance in place, including traceability of payments.
00:09:16:04 – 00:09:45:17
Stuart Mann:
All payments are done in cash. She tried to implement normal accepted accounting practices and payment practices, which was vociferously resisted. So, yes, there’s access to money, but there are also contracts and things like that. I don’t have the resources to conduct a financial forensic audit, but I expect that someone there would probably find lots of connections to contracts involving certain board members.
00:09:45:19 – 00:10:02:19
Stuart Mann:
That would be my expectation. And just to be clear, this is probably not a recent development. If I were writing this article 10 or 15 years ago, it would have been about white South Africans. Now, the four board members implicated are Black South Africans. This isn’t a recent issue; it’s just now been blown up and exposed.
00:10:02:19 – 00:10:17:18
Stuart Mann:
The firing of Ann Ashworth was the catalyst for people to question why she was fired. It doesn’t make logical sense. People like myself started digging, and we uncovered more and more unethical practices that have been going on for years. It’s probably been getting worse. If you ask around, sources associated with Comrades, staff members, and so on, they’ll all tell you, “Yeah, this is exactly what happens.”
00:10:43:03 – 00:10:48:07
Alec Hogg:
So why is nothing being done about it until this point, do you think?
00:10:48:09 – 00:11:02:13
Stuart Mann:
It’s really difficult to say. I don’t have the exact context of the discussions and things, but I know certain issues have been raised directly to the board. They appear to have been swept under the carpet and ignored. Particularly, the race organizing committee is made up of volunteers, most of whom have been there a long time.
00:11:02:19 – 00:11:26:08
Stuart Mann:
They’ve raised various concerns and have just been flat-out ignored or otherwise given mysteries or half-truths as explanations. I fully expect some of these issues to slowly escalate as people get away with things and become more and more brazen. It also appears that the good and decent board members there—whether due to a lack of backbone or a lack of support—haven’t taken a stand on the side of ethics and good practice.
00:11:26:11 – 00:11:41:21
Stuart Mann:
There’s been no evidence of anyone standing up to the race.
00:11:41:23 – 00:11:44:20
Alec Hogg:
Stuart, what’s going to happen next?
00:11:44:22 – 00:11:59:02
Stuart Mann:
Today at 2:00 PM, there is a High Court interdict that will be taken to overturn the COVID decree. I understand it’s against KZN Athletics and the CMA.
00:11:59:03 – 00:12:01:12
Alec Hogg:
What’s going on?
00:12:01:14 – 00:12:23:12
Stuart Mann:
KwaZulu-Natal Athletics essentially issued the decree that out-of-town, out-of-province members can’t speak or vote. The CMA basically said, “Okay,” and didn’t contest it, which is obviously nonsense, but that’s how it is. My understanding is that the Comrades Marathon Association is not opposing the High Court hearing, but KwaZulu-Natal Athletics is. So, that’s happening at 2:00 PM today. I would be astounded if the decision is not overturned. I’m expecting that out-of-province CMA members will be allowed to attend, vote, and speak.
00:12:49:19 – 00:13:10:08
Stuart Mann:
Also, bearing in mind that the announcement came out on Monday, tomorrow, Thursday, is the actual AGM. The timing seems suspicious, as people have already spent a lot of money on accommodation, and some are driving down or have booked flights. Apparently, someone is even flying in from the UK because they feel so strongly about the future of the Comrades Marathon.
00:13:10:08 – 00:13:16:14
Stuart Mann:
They’re flying all the way from the UK specifically so that they can vote at the AGM.
00:13:16:16 – 00:13:33:21
Alec Hogg:
And at the special general meeting, where all these interested parties are going to get together, what are they hoping to achieve? People like Rory Steyn and the Green Number grouping—he tells me over 100 of them will be there.
00:13:33:23 – 00:13:51:10
Stuart Mann:
There are a few items on the agenda, and the agenda can’t be changed once it’s set. One of the big items is to amend the constitution of the CMA to allow for online attendance and voting at future meetings. This is particularly important for the AGM, where new board members will be elected or re-elected. This would allow easier access, not just for people outside of KZN, but even for someone in Durban, who would otherwise have to spend significant time and money to get to Pietermaritzburg for a meeting.
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00:13:51:12 – 00:14:16:17
Stuart Mann:
It just makes sense to offer both in-person and online voting. Another significant item is to call for the resignation or termination of two specific board members. One is Zinhle Sokhela, who put out a racist WhatsApp message. There have been other cases of racism reported, and nothing has been done about it. She has refused to resign, despite the blatant evidence against her. The conjecture is that she was being positioned as the future chair of the Comrades, which is probably why she’s holding on so tightly to her position.
00:14:16:19 – 00:14:44:09
Stuart Mann:
The other person is a gentleman named Isaac, who is implicated in all sorts of issues covered in my articles. He’s been referred to as a kleptomaniac by other board members—not in a joking way—literally helping himself to whatever’s inside the office. His excuse is that it’s not all sponsors’ products, but even then, you don’t just stock up your car with stuff from inside Comrades House. He’s also been head of the community marshal portfolio since its inception and has resisted any governance there. On top of that, he’s made some bizarre statements, just to put the cherry on top.
00:15:49:20 – 00:16:14:11
Stuart Mann:
Another item was to ask for specific reasons around Lindsey Parry’s firing. Things have mostly changed since then—she had an out-of-court settlement with the CCMA—but the Comrades members still deserve an explanation of exactly why her contract was terminated. It seems to defy logic.
00:16:14:13 – 00:16:38:23
Alec Hogg:
And presumably, if she was very good at her job, they would like her back as well. I’m just trying to understand this from the perspective of governance in South Africa. We think a lot has changed since the ANC went down to 40%, and now we have a government of national unity. We have new brooms sweeping clean, and one of the portfolios where there is a non-ANC member is in sport.
00:16:38:23 – 00:16:58:07
Alec Hogg:
If you had the chance to get Gayton McKenzie in a room for five minutes, how would you explain to him what is going on here? Because the way you’ve explained it to me, it looks like some guys who are lining their own pockets have hijacked the Comrades Marathon.
00:16:58:09 – 00:17:14:14
Stuart Mann:
Yeah. So, I mean, I’d probably go exactly that route and just say, you know, to be honest, he does seem to be a bit of a wildcard. And I think that’s a fair comment to make. But I do think that at this stage, he probably needs to get involved because things are just going from bad to worse in terms of the lengths those in power are going to cling onto it nefariously.
00:17:14:16 – 00:17:33:06
Stuart Mann:
You know, I would just say that, yeah, I know Gayton was doing a bit of running and was looking at doing a marathon. I think he’s downgraded that, but maybe I’d say, “Listen, keep up the running. And if you want to do Comrades one day and have it as an event that’s worthy of the status it has now and continues to be, something needs to be done now.”
00:17:33:06 – 00:17:50:08
Stuart Mann:
I consider it to be the greatest running event in South Africa, and definitely the case for ultramarathons worldwide. Something needs to be done now, so the corruption and mismanagement don’t reach a stage where it’s irrevocable—though it’s getting close. Something really needs to be done to step in. The other thing I’d say is that this isn’t a race issue, although compromised members of the board are trying to play the race card.
00:17:50:08 – 00:18:21:15
Stuart Mann:
That’s the only thing they can do because they can’t use logical, factual arguments against the accusations. But this isn’t a race issue. This is runners against administrators—compromised administrators—who are doing things against the best interests of the sport and the Comrades Marathon. If you look at online posts, you’ll see runners of all races are exhausted by this. I think runners are pretty unified in wanting change and a Comrades board, and probably a KwaZulu-Natal Athletics board, that actually represents their best interests and isn’t corrupt or self-serving.
00:18:21:20 – 00:18:55:14
Stuart Mann:
Runners are generally upper-income, or certainly—well, we can’t make a generalization. But there are a lot of upper-income people who are runners and who are looking after their health. You would have thought that in a case like this, you’d have a lot of lawyers and perhaps investigators among the group trying to expose this. Wouldn’t the easier way be to get someone like Paul O’Sullivan onto the case, get him to expose what the board members are allegedly doing, and lay a criminal charge? That would surely be sufficient to eject them, rather than this convoluted process.
00:18:55:16 – 00:19:36:12
Stuart Mann:
Yeah, I think, well, I’m not a legal expert, so it’s difficult to comment on that. One thing I would say is that, yes, some people in running are wealthy, but running is a great leveler. And that’s why the sport is so phenomenal. I could be running the Comrades Marathon next to a multimillionaire CEO of a listed company, and next to someone who’s unemployed. That’s the nature of it, and that’s the great part of it. In fact, I know a couple of years ago, in the top ten professions listed, “unemployed” was one of them.
00:19:36:14 – 00:20:14:09
Stuart Mann:
That’s why the sport is so special. I’m still hopeful that by normal legal procedures and the AGM, change can be brought about. We’ve seen how Hollywood KZN is trying to subvert the process and use dirty tricks to achieve that. I’m hoping sanity will prevail. Obviously, if it doesn’t, maybe that’s the route that needs to be taken. I know there are a lot of lawyers, advocates, and attorneys who are runners and Green Number members who have offered their services.
00:20:14:11 – 00:20:34:17
Stuart Mann:
Just as an example, Mark Leathers is the attorney who is taking the case to the High Court today.
00:20:56:14 – 00:21:02:02
Stuart Mann:
He’s doing that pro bono, you know, because he believes in Comrades and, of course, in justice.
00:21:02:04 – 00:21:28:17
Alec Hogg:
It’s extraordinary how some people will not accept the facts until they are shoved in their faces. And perhaps that is what is required here. But I guess in another instance, if I can mention Gayton McKenzie—by the way, he was a runner in his youth. I remember in his autobiography The Choice, he said he was actually a pretty good runner back then. I guess he carried a little less muscle than he does today. So you might just get him into the Comrades and involved there.
00:21:28:19 – 00:21:54:16
Alec Hogg:
But it is interesting that this process is moving forward. And I guess it also shows that in South Africa, we are finally, as a nation, taking responsibility for ourselves and doing what is possible. It seems to me that this is what the Comrades participants, those who love the race so much, are doing right now. Have you seen a lot of support? Because you have done an enormous amount of work in this, in your research, and in the articles you’ve written. Are you seeing support from the running community?
00:21:54:16 – 00:22:33:18
Stuart Mann:
Yeah, definitely. I mean, I’m not a particularly emotional person, but I got a few nice messages this morning when I posted an article about the High Court interdict. The messages of support actually made me a bit emotional. There has been a lot of hard work, and I think the runners are united. We’re all in this together. It’s about doing what’s right and ethical. Most of us just want to run, enjoy it, and hope the administrators take care of the sport’s business. When they don’t, people will be unified and up in arms about it.
00:22:33:20 – 00:23:20:02
Stuart Mann:
I think what would be great now is if this gets more media coverage. I’m actually surprised it hasn’t gotten more so far. This is one of the first interviews I’m doing about it, so thanks very much to the other businesses for picking it up. I do think it needs the right level of media attention to drive change, to put the spotlight on those doing blatantly and brazenly wrong things. They may have some self-justification in their heads, but to anyone outside, it’s absolutely clear they’re up to no good.
00:23:20:02 – 00:23:36:10
Alec Hogg:
Before you go, how many Comrades Marathons have you done?
00:23:36:12 – 00:23:59:09
Stuart Mann:
I’ve done ten so far. I said I’d retire after ten, so I’ve got my green number. Maybe I’ll come back for the 100th running in 2027 and do one more with my green number. But I guess we’ll have to see which board members are in place in three years’ time.
00:24:00:18 – 00:24:09:12
Alec Hogg:
Stuart Mann, known as the Running Mann in his blog, and as you’ve heard, very passionate about the Comrades Marathon. I’m Alec Hogg from BizNews.com.
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