The Soweto Marathon continues this year with the Bank of Africa as the main sponsor.
This is despite earlier statements that the race should be abandoned by some members of the Soweto Board of Trust, who have since been suspended.
The 2023 edition of The People’s Race is set to launch Wednesday morning at Sakhumzi’s Restaurant on Vilakazi Street, Orlando West.
Sowetan’s sister newspaper TimesLIVE has been reliably informed that the board will announce Bank Africa as the new sponsors of the three-in-one race – the full marathon, half marathon and 10K – race.
The race has been without a sponsor for a few years since Old Mutual pulled out of back road running events such as the Soweto Marathon, Om Die Dam Marathon, Two Oceans Marathon and Comrades Marathon. But the new Soweto Trust Board announced by Athletics South Africa (ASA) and Central Gauteng (CGA) last month appears to have been instrumental in securing a financial backer for the race.
Thokozani Mazibuko, James Masilo and Watson Shilembe join after the two-year ban for former boss Sello Khunou, Ishe Sadike and Pamela Tainton. The new parties joined existing members, CGA President Stephen Canelli and Thulani Sibisi.
The suspended trio are appealing the ASA’s decision that came after a TV rights dispute, something that is certain to be addressed when Wednesday’s launch.
Last year, the ASA signed a broadcast deal with SuperSport to broadcast most of the nation’s major races and national track and cross-country and road championships on the pay channel.
But the suspended trio were upset by the decision, which they felt was not within the jurisdiction of the national governing body.
Things came to a head late last year when the trust negotiated with SABC to broadcast the Soweto Marathon, only for SuperSport to throw a legal wrench into the works. Thus the race was not broadcast, even on the pay channel, and an independent company was also prevented from broadcasting the race.
The board and the ASA have been at odds ever since, and at one point the Soweto Running Clubs received a memorandum from Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) warning them to refrain from attending any meetings called by members of the trust.
It wasn’t clear if the broadcast deal issue had been resolved but indications are that with the new board apparently compatible with ASA and CGA, the race could be shown on SuperSport.