Latest news with #TwoOceansMarathon
The South African
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The South African
Two Oceans Marathon organisers respond to High Court ruling
The Two Oceans Marathon NPC has responded to the ruling handed down by the Gauteng High Court on Thursday. The social media post read: 'The Two Oceans Marathon NPC acknowledges the recent High Court judgment concerning public commentary made about the organisation and its leadership. 'While the matter was dismissed, we note that the judgement was based on procedural grounds – 𝙣𝙤𝙩 on the factual correctness, ethical appropriateness or moral acceptability of the statements made. It therefore cannot be said that the statements made were found to be truthful, justified, or ethically appropriate. 'As an organisation, we welcome constructive criticism and learn profoundly from it. However, we believe that such engagement must be 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴, including runners, those who serve the organisation, suppliers and stakeholders. 'As one of Africa's most iconic running events, we value fair criticism and a spirit of public engagement that falls within the boundaries of what can be considered fundamentally decent and respectful.' In the Gauteng High Court case between Two Oceans chairperson Toni Cavanagh (first applicant) and the Two Oceans Marathon NPC (second applicant) and Stuart Mann (respondent), the Honourable Judge Yacoob ruled emphatically against Cavanagh and the TOM NPC granting a costs order on scale C (the most severe possible outcome). This will reportedly cost Cavanagh and the TOM NPC around R400 000. Whether Cavanagh will cough up the cash herself or turn to the NPC for help remains to be seen. The full 15-page judgement can be found HERE This developing news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. The future of the Two Oceans Marathon is in serious doubt after the City of Cape Town pulled its sponsorship of the event following a number of flagrant contraventions of conditions by the organisers of this year's race. Organisers were on the receiving end of more criticism this year – as is seemingly the case every year – as runners took to social media in their droves to vent their unhappiness and frustration. Runners lashed out at the organisers for – among many other things – shocking (read: no) communication pre-race, a lack of sufficient markings on the trail race, goodie bags hardly worth taking home, a lack of water tables during the race and running out of medals for finishers. Race director Hilton Kearns is on record as saying they 'overcompensated in predicting the number of silver medallists they expected and did not have enough bronze medals'. This was proven to be a lie by well-known South African runner and blogger, Stuart Mann, who, writing on his blog ' The Running Mann ' this week exposed the latest untruth. Mann ran the numbers and the percentage of silver medallists in the Two Oceans Half Marathon has been the same for the last three years: 1.3%. A mere 234 runners earned silver medals, while 17 443 runners earned bronze this year. The real reason the race ran out of thousands of bronze medals was the fact they accepted – and took payment for – more entries than they were allowed by the City of Cape Town. Meanwhile, according to Two Oceans chairperson Toni Cavanagh, the race has struggled to rope in enough sponsors since emerging from the Covid pandemic a few years ago. While they appreciated the support from current headline sponsor Totalsports – and the runners who paid entry fees – they are falling short of the claimed nearly R27 million required to organise the event. RELATED | Tributes pour in for runner after tragic death at Two Oceans Marathon In the irony of all ironies, just two short years ago prior to taking over as Two Oceans chairperson, Cavanagh took to social media to slate the race organisers following her 'fudging ridiculous' experience at race collection back in 2023. The South African website has in its possession a letter of demand to cease and desist from the Two Oceans Marathon NPC and Toni Cavanagh sent to Mann on Wednesday. The South African website also has it on good authority that Mann plans to neither cease nor desist from exposing the truth. It appears clear that the City of Cape Town is siding with Mann – and the truth. In a response sent to The South African website on Thursday, the City confirmed: 'Following the Two Oceans Half Marathon on Sunday, 6 April 2025, the City of Cape Town's Events Permitting Office discovered that the Two Oceans Marathon race management allowed more participants to take part in the half marathon than what was approved in the official permit. 'The Two Oceans Marathon race management contravened conditions of its permit and subsequently the Events By-Law by allowing more than the permitted number of runners to take part. 'This is a complete disregard of the months of work behind the scenes to plan the logistics and safety measures in place around the event. 'The contravention of stipulated permit conditions places at risk the safety of people taking part in events. 'The sponsorship agreement between the City of Cape Town and the agreement between the City and the Two Oceans Marathon NPC is clear that any breach of permit will result in the municipality pulling sponsorship of the event. 'The Two Oceans Marathon NPC was notified of the City's decision withdraw support on 10 April 2025. 'The City provides support in kind in the form of municipal services which assist in the event safety and logistics planning for the Two Oceans Marathon. 'The City's actions pertain specifically to its sponsorship of the Two Oceans Marathon – the Event Organiser can continue to apply for permits through the normal channels, as they are required to do in any event – irrespective of City sponsorship.' Quite how the Two Oceans Marathon plans on holding an event without the sponsorship of the City of Cape Town remains to be seen, considering the lack of funding alluded to by the organisers themselves. Whether any other sponsors wish to come on board and be associated with the race and its current Board remains to be seen. In addition, race founder Celtic Harriers (a club which still receives royalties from the Two Oceans brand, but is no longer involved in the organisation) has said it wants to meet with the Two Oceans board out of concern for the future of the race. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The South African
Two Oceans Marathon organisers handed brutal beat-down in High Court ruling
Thursday saw a BIG win for runners – and an even bigger smackdown for negligence, incompetence and fragile egos. In the Gauteng High Court case between Two Oceans chairperson Toni Cavanagh (first applicant) and the Two Oceans Marathon NPC (second applicant) and Stuart Mann (respondent), the Honourable Judge Yacoob ruled emphatically against Cavanagh and the TOM NPC granting a costs order on scale C (the most severe possible outcome). This will reportedly cost Cavanagh and the TOM NPC around R400 000. Whether Cavanagh will cough up the cash herself or turn to the NPC for help remains to be seen. The full 15-page judgement can be found HERE This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. HISTORY The future of the Two Oceans Marathon is in serious doubt after the City of Cape Town pulled its sponsorship of the event following a number of flagrant contraventions of conditions by the organisers of this year's race. Organisers were on the receiving end of more criticism this year – as is seemingly the case every year – as runners took to social media in their droves to vent their unhappiness and frustration. Runners lashed out at the organisers for – among many other things – shocking (read: no) communication pre-race, a lack of sufficient markings on the trail race, goodie bags hardly worth taking home, a lack of water tables during the race and running out of medals for finishers. Race director Hilton Kearns is on record as saying they 'overcompensated in predicting the number of silver medallists they expected and did not have enough bronze medals'. This was proven to be a lie by well-known South African runner and blogger, Stuart Mann, who, writing on his blog ' The Running Mann ' this week exposed the latest untruth. Mann ran the numbers and the percentage of silver medallists in the Two Oceans Half Marathon has been the same for the last three years: 1.3%. A mere 234 runners earned silver medals, while 17 443 runners earned bronze this year. The real reason the race ran out of thousands of bronze medals was the fact they accepted – and took payment for – more entries than they were allowed by the City of Cape Town. Meanwhile, according to Two Oceans chairperson Toni Cavanagh, the race has struggled to rope in enough sponsors since emerging from the Covid pandemic a few years ago. While they appreciated the support from current headline sponsor Totalsports – and the runners who paid entry fees – they are falling short of the claimed nearly R27 million required to organise the event. RELATED | Tributes pour in for runner after tragic death at Two Oceans Marathon In the irony of all ironies, just two short years ago prior to taking over as Two Oceans chairperson, Cavanagh took to social media to slate the race organisers following her 'fudging ridiculous' experience at race collection back in 2023. The South African website has in its possession a letter of demand to cease and desist from the Two Oceans Marathon NPC and Toni Cavanagh sent to Mann on Wednesday. The South African website also has it on good authority that Mann plans to neither cease nor desist from exposing the truth. It appears clear that the City of Cape Town is siding with Mann – and the truth. In a response sent to The South African website on Thursday, the City confirmed: 'Following the Two Oceans Half Marathon on Sunday, 6 April 2025, the City of Cape Town's Events Permitting Office discovered that the Two Oceans Marathon race management allowed more participants to take part in the half marathon than what was approved in the official permit. 'The Two Oceans Marathon race management contravened conditions of its permit and subsequently the Events By-Law by allowing more than the permitted number of runners to take part. 'This is a complete disregard of the months of work behind the scenes to plan the logistics and safety measures in place around the event. 'The contravention of stipulated permit conditions places at risk the safety of people taking part in events. 'The sponsorship agreement between the City of Cape Town and the agreement between the City and the Two Oceans Marathon NPC is clear that any breach of permit will result in the municipality pulling sponsorship of the event. 'The Two Oceans Marathon NPC was notified of the City's decision withdraw support on 10 April 2025. 'The City provides support in kind in the form of municipal services which assist in the event safety and logistics planning for the Two Oceans Marathon. 'The City's actions pertain specifically to its sponsorship of the Two Oceans Marathon – the Event Organiser can continue to apply for permits through the normal channels, as they are required to do in any event – irrespective of City sponsorship.' Quite how the Two Oceans Marathon plans on holding an event without the sponsorship of the City of Cape Town remains to be seen, considering the lack of funding alluded to by the organisers themselves. Whether any other sponsors wish to come on board and be associated with the race and its current Board remains to be seen. In addition, race founder Celtic Harriers (a club which still receives royalties from the Two Oceans brand, but is no longer involved in the organisation) has said it wants to meet with the Two Oceans board out of concern for the future of the race. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
TimesLIVE
8 hours ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Blogger Mann will not be silenced on Two Oceans Marathon matter, court rules
Freedom of speech has won the day in a matter in which Two Oceans Marathon chair Antoinette Cavanagh and her board tried to silence marathon runner and blogger Stuart Mann. Cavanagh wanted the court to rule certain of his articles on his blog The Running Mann are defamatory, to order they be removed and that he apologise publicly for them. But Mann, in opposing the application, said his allegations — that she had embellished her CV, lied about her running credentials and was responsible for 'the worst organised marathon' in the event's 54-year history — were true and in the public interest. In a ruling handed down on Thursday, Johannesburg high court judge Seena Yacoob said Cavanagh's case was lacking in many respects and she had not established Mann's publications were defamatory. 'In this case neither of the applicants (Cavanagh and the board) have made out a case that the esteem in which they are held is of a particular type. 'Cavanagh does not favour the court with her own full history nor does she demonstrate she is viewed with any particular esteem or she has a reputation for integrity and good leadership. 'Two Oceans does not contend it has run its events in a manner reasonably beyond criticism and above board. It does not even contend, let alone attempt to demonstrate, it has conducted its events lawfully and in a manner compliant with its permits from the City of Cape Town. There is no attempt to demonstrate any of the factual claims made in the publications is untrue, though there are bald allegations that they are all false,' Judge Yacoob said. The judge criticised the 'chaotic and vague manner' in which the urgent application was pleaded. 'The founding papers are vague, voluminous and lacking particularity. They contain more argument than fact. To require a judge to trawl through papers to try to make sense of them is unacceptable in an urgent court.' She said Cavanagh and the board had failed to set out a 'clear factual background' and the founding affidavit consisted almost entirely of argumentative matter. It did not contain dates of the publications, nor the specific problematic statements or utterances. They had also not dealt with why they alleged each publication, in its entirety, was defamatory, instead pleading defamation in a 'broad and sweeping manner'. Yacoob said while it was possible an entire publication may, on the face of it, be defamatory, in this case the publications complained of were not. For example, it was not clear how a photograph of Cavanagh, with a caption she had recently completed a running event, could be defamatory. 'There are reams of examples of patently non-defamatory and even complimentary statements in the publications. A cursory glance demonstrates that the publications consist as much of opinion as fact, and that at least some of the factual matter has a proper basis,' the judge said. 'It is not the function of the court to attempt to sift out what may be defamatory and how.' Yacoob said the applicants had wrongly approached the matter on the understanding that all they had to do was show publication of uncomplimentary statements about themselves. However, in discharging their onus to establish that the publications were defamatory, they were required to establish both what their status or esteem was and that the publications tended to lower these in the eyes of the community. This had not been established, she said. Yacoob dismissed the application, and ordered the applicants to pay the costs. She said she had considered 'showing her displeasure in which the application had been run with a punitive costs order but on reflection, I consider the failure of the application is sufficient indication of the court's displeasure'.
The Citizen
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Blind mountaineer's tales intrigue Garland Ladies
Shrouded in darkness, a formation of eight men climbed the face of Kilimanjaro. Second from the front, Gerhard Ferreira walked with great effort, willing his body to take the last strides to the top of Africa's highest peak. Gathered in the Katse Room at Ebotse on May 29, members and guests of the Garlands Ladies Luncheon Club listened in awe as Gerhard, a blind mountaineer from Lakefield, recounted his 54-year-long journey that led him to stand on top of the world on August 4, 2001. At the age of 16, Gerhard's world went dark when a degenerative condition claimed his vision. Starting from humble beginnings, the father of two's career includes countless accolades, such as becoming one of the country's first programmers. He went on to become manager of quality management and coaching at Standard Bank's Corporate and Investment Bank. Despite being visually impaired, his vigour and lust for life have taken him on a series of whirlwind adventures. ALSO READ: Mountaineer Eva ready for Annapurna adventure Under the guidance of his running partner and lifelong friend, Denis Tavakin, Gerhard has won two bronze medals at the Comrades Ultra-Marathon, two bronze medals at the Two Oceans Marathon, and two silver medals at the New York City Marathon. 'Whether it is bungee jumping or battling rapids, there is very little that scares me,' he said, with a hint of his wicked wit tugging at the corners of his mouth. 'Perhaps it is my die-hard approach to life or merely the fact that I cannot see the dangers or challenges before me that have pushed me beyond my comfort zone.' Zeroing in on his trek to become one of the first three South Africans to reach Uhuru Peak, at an elevation of 5 895 m, Gerhard said that the climb was not only a physical challenge due to extreme conditions but also tested every inch of his will. 'Uhuru means freedom in Swahili,' he said. 'Freedom of movement and the ability to grow beyond physical limitations were something that I had to quickly adapt to if I wanted to live a life of independence. Navigating through life in darkness became second nature. 'However, trudging through dense vegetation, covered in mud, and steadily making my way up a mountain that stretched beyond the clouds were the moments that cemented my will to live without limitations.' Detailing his adventure, Gerhard told the Garlands how the most encouraging words during the climb came from his patient guides, who routinely told him, 'It's not too far.' 'As humans, we are so fixated on our goals that we grow impatient when it takes a little longer to see the results,' he said. 'This could lead to despondency and frustration, but if my journey has taught me anything, it is to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. 'Every step inches you forward. Take the time to examine the end destination and take stock of how far you have come, but do not linger there. 'Again, focus on every step, and before you know it, 'it is not too far,' becomes 'lift your hands, you have made it to the top.' The Garlands Ladies Luncheon Club will meet again on June 26. For more information about the club and its monthly meetings or to become a member, email club president Margie Kostelac at margie.h@ ALSO READ: Climbing the mountain of life with courage At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Mandisi Dyantyis running for the Methodist Church at this year's Comrades Marathon
Mandisi Dyantyis is taking on the Comrades Marathon for the third time after an impressive performance in the 2024 race. Mandisi Dyantyis will be participating in his third Comrades Marathon this weeknd for the Methodist Church. Picture: Supplied Musician Mandisi Dyantyis is running the Comrades Marathon for a third time this year, but this time he will be doing it to help the Methodist church. 'The Methodist church has a bursary fund that helps underprivileged kids with registration, books and with things in the university. It's been going on forever, but its funds have depleted, so we're just doing whatever we can,' Dyantyis told The Citizen. Dyantyis said that, more than raising funds, he is also trying to raise awareness about the depletion of funds. The Tsietsi Mashinini Bursary Fund within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) is a bursary fund focused on empowering Methodist youth in Southern Africa by facilitating their access to tertiary education. 'I guess not even raise funds, but first raise awareness about it because a lot of people didn't know that the thing [the bursary] even existed,' he shared. ALSO READ: Jazz muso Mandisi Dyantyis clocks-in impressive time at Comrades Marathon Comrades Marathon In his participation at last year's Comrades, the Ungancami singer clocked in an impressive time of 9:33:58 at an average pace of 06:41 min/km. Crossing the line just after 3 pm, Dyantyis was one of the 17,313 athletes who ran and finished the race before the 12-hour cut-off time. 'You know, Comrades training is long and I think if you keep consistency for a long time, then you're probably gonna benefit,' he said adding that part of this year's preparation was running at Two Oceans Marathon and he continued training after the April marathon. 'My training has been very good, I think it's the best one I've had so far,' he said. When asked about his targets for the year, the singer spoke modestly. 'Honestly, runners who are running in my sort of ability are constantly trying to get to the nine hour mark. So anything in the nine hour mark, that's sort of our holy grail as it were. So it's not going to be different for me this year I'll try and be around that nine hour mark.' ALSO READ: Presley Chweneyagae: Mourners gathered at Mmabatho like they did in 2018 for HHP 'Running for me is meditative' Dyantyis has previously spoken about his love for running and being outdoors. He says the running benefits his artistry. 'It's everything,' he says of his running. 'Everything we do in music is very emotional, every aspect of music –whether it's writing, rehearsing, practicing, performing, engaging people-it's all emotional…and so you need an outlet where you can let all of that out. You need an outlet where you can be alone and sort of meditate.' 'Running for me is meditative because you're by yourself you know, you're using your God-given body and no other aide. So you're constantly in touch with how your body works, how your breathing works, how your mind works and these are the things you need to be able to communicate with people with music,' he shared. ALSO READ: Barbados Prime Minister extends condolences to Rihanna following father's death Playing with a 65-piece ensemble While preparing for the upcoming marathon, Dyantyis is also staging performances at Cape Town's Artscape Opera House alongside the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. Both the marathon and the upcoming shows are taxing on different fronts but Dyantyis says he enjoys pushing himself. 'We've got 24 hours in a day, I love to challenge my body and my mind. I think that's when I get excited about these things because I'm able to other things, like after comrades it's gonna be work and then I'm gonna miss running , I was in England for a month and a half and I missed being on stage. I always need to do things that make me remember that I'm fortunate to be in this position.' The Cape Town shows are set for July 11th and 12th, while a one-time show in Joburg at Emperors Palace Centre Court will take place later in July, where he will share the stage with a 50-piece orchestra. Dyantyis says these upcoming shows will be different from what fans have seen him do in the last few years, particularly because listeners of his music are eagerly awaiting a new body of work since the critically acclaimed album Cwaka from 2021. 'This one is the biggest one yet, in terms of format. Not in terms of the show itself. I'm having to relearn the music, there's a lot of risks in the music,' expressed Dyantyis. ALSO READ: Kelvin Momo releases album amid speculation about his involvement at this year's Redbull Symphonic Dyantyis on new music For these shows, Dyantyis will play fan favourites off Cwaka and Somandla, and will also perform unreleased music from his highly anticipated third album, Intlambululu. Explaining the meaning of the upcoming album, the singer said the title has a double meaning. 'It's very layered. It's Intlambululu, to cleans and ukuhlabulula, to repent. And you look at those two words and what they mean…the next project really is zoning into the inner self, the things that make you wake up at night,' he said the muso. When asked about a release date, Dyantyis couldn't commit. 'No, no, no…it will appear. You will sleep one day, and it will be just there. I'm sure before the 31st of December, the only date that can be guaranteed is the 31st of December,' he said, bursting into laughter. NOW READ: 'All of the music I've ever made belongs to me' : Taylor Swift wins long battle to own masters
