SMT accepts court judgement as Maile leads discussions to pay athletes and save The Soweto Marathon

As the war for the soul of the embattled Soweto Marathon rages on, five-time Comrades Marathon champion Gerda Steyn confirmed she still hasn't received her prize money after her podium finish at last year's edition of The People's Race which took place on 29 November. Steyn clocked 02:37:00, to take third position behind winner Margaret Jepchumba and runner-up Elizabeth Mokolma. She expected to receive R90 000 for her efforts but neither she nor any athlete in the women's or men's top three have received their earnings.

Speaking after her sixth place finish at the inaugural Absa RUN YOUR CITY MANGAUNG 10K on October 25, the Smiling Assassin said the most disappointing thing about the entire saga has been the total lack of communication from the Soweto Marathon NPC who organised the race.

The top three female finishers Jepchumba, Mukoloma and Steyn have still not received their prize money. Photo Credit: City of Joburg.

"There's been absolutely no communication about the payments. I don't even know if it's a discussion we should have. The way we've been forgotten without any communication about the prize money is incredibly disappointing. I don't know what to say. We were hoping there would be people bigger than the race that would step in. There was some indication that might happen. But up until now, there's been absolutely nothing," she explained.

"For me, it's incredibly disappointing. It was a tough road for me to get to the start of the race. I was really looking forward to a marathon last year and when Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was cancelled, I immediately decided to support them. Even though the uncertainty of whether the race would go ahead or not was in the air, I decided I was going to back the race. I knew the race wasn't in a good space but I still wanted to support them," Steyn told #TheTopRunner.

The Court dismissed the challenge brought by former Chairperson Benjamin Khunou (also known as Sello Khunou and pictured above) and former Secretary David Sathikge (also known as Ishe Sadiki) against Athletics South Africa’s disciplinary sanctions, and ordered their removal as trustees. Photo Credit: Supplied.

While the payout crisis has severely affected the podium winners, Steyn said this was also a big loss to the running community, which always sets aside the first weekend of November for the race. The seven-time winner of the Totalsports Two Ocean Ultra marathon and five-time Comrades Marathon champion hopes that the organisers will take the running community into their confidence and chart the way forward.

"I would like the organisers to take accountability and responsibility. They must inform us about the payment status and whether we are going to see the race in the future. We want to see the Soweto Marathon take place. We want it back on the calendar. Every year, everyone gets excited for the first week of November because we know where the party is at," said Steyn.

Thokozani Mazibuko pictured in 2024 when he lead the Soweto Marathon NPC during their organisation of the race. Photo Credit: Supplied.

Just a day after Steyn's comments, the Soweto Marathon Trust (SMT) held a press briefing where it officially accepted an October 20 High Court judgment dismissing an application by its former leaders and ordering the immediate removal of Sello Khunou and Ishe Sadiki as trustees. The removal of the pair comes in the wake of a bitter a three-year battle for control of the race which saw Khunou and Sadiki suspended under a cloud of allegations resulting in a forensic investigation which forced the SMT’s accounts to be frozen, giving rise to the Soweto Marathon NPC which organised both the 2024 and 2025 editions of The People’s Race.

While accepting the court's decision, the SMT, which is lead by former Central Gauteng Athletics President Steven Khanyile who has been elected as Acting Chairperson, Acting Secretary Matsebe Maila and their charismatic spokesperson Stan Itshegetseng, says it holds no legal liability for the 2025 race which was organised by the rival NPC faction, demanding full disclosure regarding the approximately R1.2 million in outstanding athlete prize money.

Khanyile (far right), Itshegetseng (second from right) and Sadiki (wearing sunglasses) pictured alongside members of the SMT faction during August 2025 when they opposed the Soweto Marathon NPC's organisation of the race.

The SMT further submits that despite having vehemently opposed the organising of the 2025 event based on the principle that the NPC were not the true custodians of the race, they are ready to smoke the peace pipe which is why they joined the negotiations driven by Gauteng MEC for Sports and Education Lebogang Maile aimed at bringing the two warring parties together in the interest of resuscitating The Soweto Marathon which will not take place in 2026.

“We remain committed to the constructive facilitation led by Gauteng MEC Lebogang Maile towards lasting institutional stability. We will respect the confidentiality of ongoing engagements and will not pre-empt their outcome,” said Itshegetseng.