How GEMS supports underprivileged runners at the Comrades Marathon

IOL News

07-06-2025

Helping underprivileged runners The GEMS team prepare for a busy day at the Comrades Marathon. Photo: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Fanyana Chamani will be out to run a new Personal Best (PB) time on Sunday as he chalks up a third Comrades Marathon finish.
Talented a runner as he is, though, the Waterfall AC athlete would ordinarily not be on the start line in front of the Pietermaritzburg City Hall among the close to 25,000 athletes who will tackle the 98th running of The Ultimate Human Race.
'I just would not have afforded it," says the runner from Zola, Soweto. "I am unemployed and I cannot afford to pay for a hotel. I don't know any people in KZN who could host me for the weekend, so it would not be easy for me to go to Comrades."
But thanks to a corporate company that chose to partner with the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) in a way not many would have found attractive, the likes of Chamani are able to be part of the world's most famous ultramarathon.
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Of course, the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) is in it for some ROI (return on investment) — it is the reason companies get involved in sports. And they are no different.
'The Comrades Marathon is, of course, a very powerful brand — the fact that it is called the Ultimate Human Race signifies just how important it is among global ultramarathons, and for us the partnership made sense from a perspective of promoting the GEMS brand,' says GEMS Principal Officer Stan Moloabi.
'As a medical aid scheme, we felt it would be great to associate with an entity that is very powerful from a healthy lifestyle point of view because that would help leverage our brand.'
But the fact that they looked at it from a social impact angle speaks volumes and sets them a little apart from other sponsors.
'For us, it is always important to put our members first, and this kind of partnership with Comrades speaks to how we can collaborate with our members to achieve — in this instance — promoting a healthy lifestyle. We took advantage of the fact that we have over 800,000 principal members and some of them are sportspeople. We realised that there are a good number of members who also participate in the Comrades. However, when they go, they have to stay a few days there, and that requires them to pay for transport and accommodation — and we found that some of them can't cover all their costs. We first then identified their needs and created this accommodation platform for GEMS members, which we have since extended to include everybody who is underprivileged.'
And along with the CMA, GEMS then checks the applications from the runners and accommodates them accordingly, allowing the likes of Chamani to participate in the race they dearly love.
'The scheme covers non-GEMS members as well, and there is a way that they identify those who are unable to take care of their accommodation needs. At GEMS, we believe that anything that is of social good, where you help people who would otherwise not be able to afford and accommodate themselves, works for us — and that's exactly the point of our involvement with the Comrades. It is not for the limelight; we feel good where we are allowed to help people. For us, that's where the element of ubuntu comes through.'
Helping the underprivileged GEMS Chief Operations Officer Dr Vuyo Gqola ahead of the 2025 Comrades Marathon from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Photo: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Do not, however, misconstrue that to mean that GEMS is just being charitable. Far from it, for Moloabi said it took some convincing to have everyone on the board agree to the partnership with Comrades.
'It was not easy, because when we do work to promote the GEMS brand, not everyone agrees that it is worth it. Marketing the organization, some people wondered whether it was worth it. So we had to check our policies and our processes to ensure we aligned with the things we want to achieve. We have to justify why we decided to spend money on a sponsorship — and we use this partnership carefully because it is a marketing relationship. Is it working? We certainly think so. Whenever we have entered into such partnerships, after every event our marketing team assesses how much exposure it has given us — a way of evaluating the return on investment — and for the few years we've been with Comrades, we are very happy with that.'
They are again making it possible for runners such as Chamani to participate at the Comrades this year.
"I've used the accommodation they offer in the last two races and I am going to use it again. It is a very good thing they are doing because they provide us with a mattress and a blanket to sleep on in a very warm place. And they also give us food and fruit. It is really good because there are a lot of runners like me who would not be able to come here and run our favourite race."
And because he does not have to worry about where he will sleep and what he will eat, Chamani has been able to train properly as he looks to get his second silver medal.
"I ran a 7:20 in my first one two years ago, but I had it bad last year and finished in over ten hours. This time I am going for silver again and I am confident I will run a new PB."
GEMS' involvement with Comrades goes 'beyond the race itself," because they also sponsor the Spirit of Comrades awards that recognise people who have contributed positively to the race.
"It means a lot for us to be a part of an event that is 100 years old, and we are very proud to honour people like yourself in the media for the role you play in the Comrades Marathon," says Moloabi.
They don't just provide the accommodation and food — they also spend time with the runners prior to the race to provide inspiration.
"As the GEMS team, we meet with the runners of the underprivileged programme a day before the race to try and inspire them as much as we can. This year, three executive team members from GEMS will be there to see them, and we will also have a gazebo at the finish line to receive them."
It is a sponsorship of a different kind — one that ensures the likes of Fanyana Chamani are able to run the Comrades Marathon and chase their silver medals.
IOL Sport