Soweto Marathon Winners Still Owed R1.2 Million, 10 Months After Race
- Joseph Seutloali, Gerda Steyn and other top finishers from the November 2025 Soweto Marathon are still waiting for their prize money
- An R740,000 stopgap payment approved by Central Gauteng Athletics remains frozen with the Gauteng Sports Confederation
- The race's title sponsor, governing body, and trust are each pointing fingers at the others over who is responsible for paying the athletes
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Ten months after crossing the finish line at the Soweto Marathon, the race's top finishers have yet to receive a single rand of their prize money, with approximately R1.2 million ($73,000) still outstanding.
Source: Getty Images
Joseph Seutloali, who won the men's race on 29 November 2025 in a time of 2:20:09, is owed R250,000 ($15,200). Women's podium finisher Gerda Steyn, a Comrades Marathon great competing in her Soweto debut, and men's third-place finisher Onalenna Khonkhobe are each waiting on R90,000 ($5,500).
Neither athlete's coach, Andrew Booyens for Seutloali and Pio Mpolokeng for Khonkhobe, has received any direct communication from race organisers or Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) about the matter. Both coaches reportedly learned of the proposed partial payment plan through media coverage.
R740,000 frozen with Gauteng sports Confederation
In late July, CGA announced it would release roughly R740,000 ($45,000) in leftover funds from the 2024 edition of the race as a stopgap measure for the unpaid athletes.
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Two months on, that money remains with the Gauteng Sports Confederation, according to a Daily Maverick report published on 29 September 2026. CGA general manager Mandla Radebe confirmed the funds had not moved and said the confederation had not explained the delay.
Radebe stated clearly that "athletes should not be prejudiced by the governance issues and must receive their payment." African Bank, the race's title sponsor, said it had met all contractual obligations including rights fees, and that responsibility for paying winners rested with the organiser.
"African Bank wishes to emphasise that it has met all its contractual obligations; regrettably, the current situation is not resolved," the bank said.
Governance dispute compounds the crisis
The payment deadlock is entangled in a long-running governance dispute. CGA stripped the Soweto Marathon Trust of control in 2023 over governance concerns. A private company staged the 2023 and 2024 editions before a non-profit company backed by nine of the township's 11 athletics clubs took over for 2025. The trust has never recognised this arrangement and continues to claim ownership of the event.
Trust spokesperson Stan Itshegetseng argued that the R740,000 "cannot be touched or dealt with without the trust's authority," while noting that it would be "unreasonable to shift responsibility to the Soweto Marathon Trust when it neither organised nor sanctioned the race."
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Hollywood Athletics Club, whose runners claimed the top three places in the men's race and third in the women's, cut ties with the event as far back as March. Team manager Manfred Seidler said at the time:
"I'm not taking my athletes back there. We won't go back. I simply don't trust them."
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie indicated in May that the government could step in with departmental funds if necessary. That intervention has also not materialised. Entries for a 2026 Soweto Marathon have not opened, and CGA said it cannot confirm whether it will sanction a new edition until the governance dispute is resolved.
Cyclists honour fallen riders
Briefly News previously reported that the Pedal Power Association and Stay Wider of the Rider invited cyclists to join a memorial ride in honour of Idries Sheriff and all riders who have lost their lives on South African roads.
Sheriff tragically died in December 2025 after being struck by a BMW driven by 27-year-old Bongani Mthethwa while cycling along Victoria Road.
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