A race row has erupted between Real Gijimas an Border Athletics (BA) leading to the cancellation of the XPE 15km run initially scheduled for December in Mdantsane.
The row stems from the failure of RG to pay outstanding levy fees, even though BSA declined to either confirm or deny it.
However, RG chair Alex Khambule confirmed that the cancellation follows a series of threats by BA that their races would not be sanctioned anymore.
The race was scheduled to take place at Masizakhe Children’s Home in Mdantsane on December 8th.
“This decision was not taken lightly, but it has been energy-draining for us as the club to plan for races under a continuous threat of our races not being sanctioned by BA,” said Khambule.
With every race that BA affiliated running clubs host a 10 percent levy fee is payable.
This even though some of the races do not generate a profit, with organisers topping them up from their own pockets.
Khambule confirmed that RG owes BSA about R20,000 in outstanding levy fees.
“Our first race this year, which happened in January, we had a jump in numbers, and in March we had a 50km race.
“We had to pay these levy fees of 10%, the same 10% clubs were querying towards the end of last year.”
The demand for a levy has sparked clubs to scrutinise BA financial statements.
“I was in the BA executive for more than 10 years, and we knew that the 10% levy fee was used to assist the clubs in their races.”
Khambule accused BA of not assisting clubs with the logistics of their race despite demanding the levy.
This has heaped additional costs on organisers, he claimed.
“Now we have to pay companies to do logistics for us.
“The only thing they do for clubs is to send referees – who we still have to pay between R200-R400 depending on how big or small the race is.”
When contacted for comment, BA president Ntathu Gwadiso said: “I won’t discuss the business of the clubs with the newspaper.”
Khambule said the Gijimas were confronted by the same challenges when they organised their 50km ultra marathon, which started in Zwelitsha and finished at Masizakhe Children’s Home in Mdantsane in March.
“We said to BA we have got a bit of money from our January race and we have our application for the Comrades Marathon, to have our 50km ultra race to be a qualifier for the Comrades.
“We had to get a qualified measurer recognised by ASA (Athletics SA) who measured the route and rubber stamped it as 50km. And we had to pay that individual R8,000 from the club’s coffers.
“We had to pay the measurer, pay for traffic services for safety reasons, and we still had to buy water and medals, and there was still prize money we have to sort out after the race.”
Khambule said when he served in the BA executive as Road Running commission chairman, BA did make exceptions for non-affording clubs.
“We would consult clubs, and if they didn’t make any profits from entries we would waiver the levy fees.
“But now BA doesn’t care whether we as clubs have to pay the levies from our pockets,” he said.
“As a result we are owing a private company that does results for us more than R6,000. Instead of getting help from BA they continued to threaten us.”
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