Munsieville salutes a fallen running hero
Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA), in collaboration with the Zithulele Sinqe Foundation, recently held the first leg of the 2025 Zet Sinqe Series Runs at Munsieville.
• Also read: Running is fun, Alma Mater proves it
According to the communications officer of CGA, Providence Siziba, the objective behind the Zet Sinqe Series was to dedicate and continue the efforts of the late Zithulele Sinqe, who believed that sport has the power to eradicate poverty.
Singe was a well-respected long-distance runner who competed in the 1992 Olympic Marathon. He won the Detroit Free Press Marathon in 1998. In his later years, Sinqe also turned his attention to the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon (56km), which he won in 1996 and 1997, as well as coming second in 1998.
'He was a dedicated CGA development coach with the Amateur Athletic Federation and the International Association of Athletics Federations and unearthed talent in many regions such as Kagiso, Bekkersdal, Tshepisong, Munsieville, Toekomsrus, Mohlakeng and Simunye, just to name a few,' Siziba said.
The CGA Zet Sinqe Series consists of three development-focused events designed to support and empower emerging clubs and athletes across the province.
The event had a 5km run which is open to the entire community and mile races for age categories that included U13, U15, U17, U19 and Open section. For the race walking event, the mile events consist of a U15 and U19 category.
Part of the objectives of the series is to use the event to recognise athletic talent and educate communities on how to be active in the sport, participate in the sport and create various opportunities available within the sport. Furthermore, it provides the local development clubs an opportunity to grow their club affiliations and a platform for development coaches to showcase their athletes and be recognised for their efforts.
'The series mainly takes place in townships or previously disadvantaged areas. This is to ensure that those communities are exposed to these events and sports, as there is a lack of facilities and infrastructure to accommodate aspiring athletes who originate from such communities.'
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
4 days ago
- IOL News
Controversy surrounds ASA Presidential Elections amid candidate withdrawals
IT WOULDN'T be the elections for sports administrators without the bickering and the controversy, would it? Athletics South Africa's (ASA) presidential elections will take place in Johannesburg on Saturday amidst drama that has served to threaten the legitimacy of the event. As if the mudslinging among the prime candidates was not enough, there have been two federations withdrawing their nominations to the detriment of athletes who were looking for an opportunity to serve at national level. Gladwin Mzazi and Kesa Moletsane are highly-achieved stars who were nominated for roles at ASA but their provinces Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) and Athletics Free State (AFS) have made the strange decision of withdrawing all their nominees. As such their hopes of serving have been dashed. Talk in athletics is that the withdrawal decisions are part of a ply to unseat current president James Moloi, who was nominated by the two federations and will thus lose out on those votes. There is a suggestion that a group pushing for the return of former president Aleck Skhosana, who is the main challenger to Moloi, has connived to get the two provinces withdrawing their nominations. 'The elections are definitely going to happen,' a source within ASA told Independent Media. 'CGA and AFS withdrawing their nominations will not stop the elections or make them illegitimate. "We are aware that there's a group that wants James Moloi out and they are the ones behind these withdrawals. They started at CGA and then went to the Free State because those provinces nominated Moloi. But he should still get enough votes to retain the presidency.' It is believed that while there are five nominations for the position, there will be just two men standing come Saturday morning – Moloi and Skhosana likely to be those. Independent Media were told Friday that Harold Adams had sent a letter to ASA confirming his withdrawal from the presidential race and new Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) president John Mathane is also expected to do the same by the end of the day. It was not immediately clear whether current ASA vice president Shireen Noble will stay on for the race, but whatever her decision she is generally seen as not having enough support to challenge the two. It thus leaves Skhosana to try and unseat Moloi. The narrative currently being pushed is that under Moloi ASA has lacked strong leadership hence the hankering for Skhosana's return. Moloi argues though that those calling for his removal are ignoring the reality of the situation as he feels that the sport has improved in the four years he has been in charge. 'The reality is that we have done very well because not only have we got the sport back on television as we promised before we were elected but you'd have seen the huge strides our athletes have made at international events and we are looking to build on those gains,' the current incumbent said – no doubt referring to the medals won at the Olympics and international events such as the junior and youth championships as well as in the relay championships. He finds it laughably sad that those against him have gone the route of getting federations withdrawing their nominees withdrawn from the elections. 'It's totally unfair because we are not working for ourselves here. We are working for Athletics South Africa and the athletes must be our priority. "Let's not demoralize the athletes and rob people who want to serve the sport of the opportunity because withdrawing those nominations is not hurting James Moloi but other athletes who wanted to serve the sport.' The elections will be held in Kempton Park Saturday.
The Citizen
27-05-2025
- The Citizen
Brakpan runner strives for nationals qualification to honour father
Brakpan resident, Donovan van Zyl started the provincial cross-country season with a blistering run at the Kwa-Thema Stadium earlier this month in his bid to qualify for the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Cross Country Championships in Middleburg in September. Van Zyl began the year on the front foot with a victory in the 5km races at the Benoni Northerns Marathon on April 13, followed by an exceptional performance at the MNS Attorneys Carnival City Marathon on May 1. Though the teenager's form, hard work and drive will likely earn him a spot in the Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) team for the nationals, he's inspired to do it for his wheelchair-bound father. 'It's a big dream to go to the nationals. My dad inspired me to do this. My coach, Jared de Waal, also helps me a lot,' he said. The Irun Athletics Club athlete's father, Andrè Swart, is a former rugby player who also excelled in athletics. Swart was involved in a car accident that landed him in a wheelchair. 'He was an SA athlete. He was one of the best. He did all athletics except for the long distances. I'm doing this for him.' Asked about his performance in the first CGA Cross Country League meeting on May 3, where he clocked 22:20 in the U17 boys' 6km race, Van Zyl said he was headed in the right direction. While the race gave him a sense of what to expect as the season progressed, he was disappointed with its aftermath. He started at a blistering pace, which affected him at the end because he finished seventh. In the remaining leagues, however, the middle-distance runner will adopt a conservative approach, allowing him to hit his strides in the second half. ALSO READ: Medals and memories shine at SAAFA's 80th anniversary banquet 'The biggest lesson was starting to avoid starting fast. I must ease into the race and go for it once I've assessed my competition and my body is warm. Cross-country is tough. It needs you to strategise,' Van Zyl said. He started running because it 'clears my mind on tough days and puts my head into a good space'. Reflecting on his journey in the sport, he said, 'It's been hard, but I work hard. Coach Jared motivates us to chase our dreams.' Van Zyl's biggest goal is to go to the Olympic Games, but first, he must tackle the easy task of qualifying for his first cross-country nationals. 'I will give it my all in the remaining league.' At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
17-05-2025
- The Citizen
Munsieville salutes a fallen running hero
Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA), in collaboration with the Zithulele Sinqe Foundation, recently held the first leg of the 2025 Zet Sinqe Series Runs at Munsieville. • Also read: Running is fun, Alma Mater proves it According to the communications officer of CGA, Providence Siziba, the objective behind the Zet Sinqe Series was to dedicate and continue the efforts of the late Zithulele Sinqe, who believed that sport has the power to eradicate poverty. Singe was a well-respected long-distance runner who competed in the 1992 Olympic Marathon. He won the Detroit Free Press Marathon in 1998. In his later years, Sinqe also turned his attention to the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon (56km), which he won in 1996 and 1997, as well as coming second in 1998. 'He was a dedicated CGA development coach with the Amateur Athletic Federation and the International Association of Athletics Federations and unearthed talent in many regions such as Kagiso, Bekkersdal, Tshepisong, Munsieville, Toekomsrus, Mohlakeng and Simunye, just to name a few,' Siziba said. The CGA Zet Sinqe Series consists of three development-focused events designed to support and empower emerging clubs and athletes across the province. The event had a 5km run which is open to the entire community and mile races for age categories that included U13, U15, U17, U19 and Open section. For the race walking event, the mile events consist of a U15 and U19 category. Part of the objectives of the series is to use the event to recognise athletic talent and educate communities on how to be active in the sport, participate in the sport and create various opportunities available within the sport. Furthermore, it provides the local development clubs an opportunity to grow their club affiliations and a platform for development coaches to showcase their athletes and be recognised for their efforts. 'The series mainly takes place in townships or previously disadvantaged areas. This is to ensure that those communities are exposed to these events and sports, as there is a lack of facilities and infrastructure to accommodate aspiring athletes who originate from such communities.' At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
