'There are lot of things I promise to fix' - Skhosana on return to ASA ahead of elections

Former Athletics South Africa (ASA) President Aleck Skhosana is promising to make the federation great again. After announcing publicly that he is eyeing an ASA presidential comeback, Skhosana says seeing the current state of ASA is what pushed him to contest the hot seat in the upcoming elections scheduled for the 31st of May in Johannesburg. With nominations having closed last week Wednesday 30 April, Skhosana's name is understood to have been approved by the KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) board during their meeting held on Tuesday 29 April.

After losing the 2021 election to James Moloi, Skhosana became a notable absentee from many athletics events around the country. Recently though he has been returned and has been making appearances at a number athletics events including the ASA Senior Track & Field Championships which took place in Potchefstroom from 24-26 April. He says meeting various athletics stakeholders there was an eye opener that people still need him in power adding that the deregistration of ASA with Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) didn't sit well with him.

Although he refuses to divulge which club nominated him, Skhosana says he has been approached by a number of key stakeholders in athletics who want him to return to the presidency. Photo Credit: Best of the Best Marathon.

"I didn't opt to make a comeback as you don't nominate yourself. It was my province alongside my club because they believe in me. When I attended the SA Track & Field Championships in Potchefstroom last week, I came across so many people pleading with me to comeback and serve the athletics fraternity as I have done in the past," he told #TheTopRunner.

"In the history of the Athletics South Africa (ASA), it was first time the federation was described as a mess and an embarrassment by the portfolio committee in parliament. In the past, it was regarded as the number one sport in the country. Small matters like registering the company and auditing it were not done even though there is someone tasked to do it. Plus there is no harmony amongst the board members. Our performances on the world stage is in a decline phase," he added.

Skhosana who was ASA President between 2014 and 2021 says should he return to power, then his main mission is to make the federation to be among the best in the world in terms of performance. He is also promising to make ASA events accessible to the public broadcaster - the SABC. Skhosana who was a teacher by profession also says he will lead an initiative to encourage people in athletics to develop their skills development in order to survive in today's world after running, while he emphasized the need for high quality talent scouting across the country's rural areas. 

Skhosana has been seen at a number of athletics events in 2025 including the SA Champs and the launch of the 2025 Best of the Best Marathon where he was photographed alongside former KZNA President Sello Mokoena. Mokeona has announced his intention to stand for president at the KZNA Elections which take place after the Comrades Marathon on 8 June. Photo Credit: Supplied.

"There are lot of things I promise to fix once I enter the office. Firstly, it's to bring integrity to the federation so that sponsors and investors will be able to come back and support the sport," he explained. 

"At the moment, no one trusts the federation after that embarrassment in parliament. Secondly, we must be ranked inside the top 10 in the world alongside USA, England, Jamaica, Kenya etc. I think ASA slept on that deal with Supersport to broadcast the events. In the past, we had SABC which ordinary people could access for free. The first thing I'll do when I enter the office is to meet the Minister of Sport to bring sport back to the SABC. We can't have big races like the Comrades Marathon, Two Oceans and the Soweto Marathon not being televised on public television," he said.