The Soweto Marathon Trust (SMT) has broken its silence after major sponsor African Bank this week declined to back down from funding the township race.
This comes after African Bank chief marketing officer Sbusiso Khumalo told the media during the launch of the 30th edition of the iconic “People’s Race” at the Soweto Theatre that: “This is a race about the people, but it’s also a race about the economy of Soweto, which is so important … the township economy,” Khumalo said.
“We want money coming from outside of Soweto into Soweto, not out of Soweto. And that’s what more than 30 000 people who decide to run the race do for Soweto.
“African Bank was founded because of economic challenges, and it was founded right here in Soweto 50 years ago.
“So, the question remains, why did we decide to sponsor? Should the Soweto Marathon change its name to the African Bank Soweto Marathon? We are not sponsoring the trust, but the people who run it.”
Marathon’s been hijacked
Founding member Thulani Sibisi accused African Bank and even government structures of siding with officials whom he accused of “hijacking” the marathon while sidelining the trust.
“African Bank is still using a contract that was signed with the trust. We have been claiming that the government and large corporations are complicit in the hijacking of this race.
“At the marathon launch on Wednesday, September 17, African Bank announced that they would be sponsoring the runners, not the trust. We don’t know the meaning of ‘sponsoring the runners’; that statement is vague and intentionally misleading.
“It must be clear that African Bank is no longer serving the interests of the people of Soweto, but they are serving the interests of certain individuals. Politics are now at play, and money is being used to take this race.
“Unfortunately they are doing this using our contract, and in our books that is fraud. This invoice is yet another proof that fraudulent activities are being committed in our name.”
He said that they tried to engage with African Bank but were ignored.
In yet another twist to the ongoing wrangles surrounding the marathon, the SMT has raised alarm after receiving an invoice from Run Squirrel Run Pty Ltd.
The R37 950 bill, dated August 31, was for a Soweto Marathon monthly marketing campaign.
However, the trust has flatly rejected the invoice, insisting it has not engaged the company’s services for at least two years.
Fraudulent activities
Speaking to Sunday World, SMT secretary-general Ishe Sadiki raised these concerns.
“Soweto Marathon Trust has not been involved in the Soweto Marathon for at least the past two years. We never used the services of this company. We don’t understand why this company is billing us for services we never received.
“This is not the first invoice we’re receiving from this company. Initially, we thought it was a mistake, but we have since noted a pattern whereby SMT details such as our registration number, VAT, and address are being used for billing purposes.
“We are now confident that fraudulent activities are taking place under the trust’s name. What concerns us most is that we don’t know how far this fraud goes in our name. The worst part is that there might be tax implications imposed on the trust.
“We have not opened a fraud case; we are following our internal procedures and will make a decision at the appropriate time. Moreover, since the matter is already in court, we cannot pursue multiple legal processes simultaneously,” said Sadiki.
Sunday World has seen the disputed invoice, which bears the official details of the trust, including its registration and VAT numbers.
This revelation adds another layer of complexity to the marathon’s already fraught governance battles.
Since 2023, the iconic 42.2km race has been mired in bitter disputes over ownership and control, with three rival entities laying claim to its administration.
We reached out to Run Squirrel Run with enquiries about the disputed invoice, but as of publication, they had not responded.
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