Boyce Joko to take on Mazibuko for CGA's top job
Another candidate has thrown his hat into the ring as the race for Central Gauteng Athletics' (CGA) top job hots up. Boyce Mfuneko Joko who first served on the board of the provincial sports federation in 2018, has confirmed to #TheTopRunner that he will take on Thokozani Mazibuko for the CGA Presidency.
"After long and hard thoughts, I declared to the constituency that I am available to stand as CGA President," explained the man who first joined the organisation as its Development Officer back in 2010. His passion for working with the youth stems from his own upbringing where an influential teacher convinced him to give athletics a try.
"Back at Primary in the late 80s myself and couple of friends used to love the inter school competition. The late Mr. Mzimba encouraged us to try middle distance and we loved 5000m. The love for the sport developed even more," said the chairperson of The Gauteng Striders Athletics Club. Based on this experience during his formative years, Joko remained in sport and has been working as an administrator ever since he graduated from the Cape Technikon.
"A good sports administrator should at all times be with the people. When I started working as CGA Development officer, I established quite a number of good progressive initiatives which included Clubs visits, interviews with new clubs, while encouraging Clubs to focus on development. I was also part of the team that negotiated sponsorship deals such as the one with Coca Cola," shared the man who currently heads up the federation's new portfolio aimed at building a Junior and Elite High Performance Centre.
That passion for developing the next generation of top runners forms part of Joko's vision for the organisation should he win the election in March. He wants to bring back mass participation athletics developments programmes such as The Pick n Pay Junior Road Running Series which was big success in the years around 2014. But in addition to grooming future athletes, the man who works for the Gauteng for the Department of Sport and Recreation says CGA must begin to attract more commercial partners.
"Road running remains the engine of CGA when it comes to revenue generating. We must encourage Clubs to host races and make necessary interventions in ensuring a well balanced partnership with the local government. A constant visit to Clubs is what will give direction to a formidable and well run CGA. A clear balance between community Clubs and Corporate Clubs must be established. They must coexist without one feeling superior or inferior to the other. Prioritize a strong and financially sound CGA and ensure transparency at all times. We should also consider introducing cost containment measures while rewarding great work done. Standard corporate governance principles to apply especially on procurement of services. An adaptive and transformed CGA is long overdue," he concluded.
The final list of candidates who will stand for the 11 board positions is expected by close of business on Friday 28 January.