Izingqwele zeComrades neqhaza kwiMandela
Ziqokwe ukuba ngamanxusa alo mjaho kaMadiba
UBONGUMUSA Mthembu oyingqwele yeComrades Marathon useyinxusa leMandela Day Marathon ezokuba ngeSonto kusuka ngo-6 ekuseni ezoqala eManaye Hall, eMbali isongwe eHowick Capture Site.
UMthembu uzokube ehambisana noCharne Bosman onqobe lo mjaho nyakenye eshiya sekuvalwe amehlo uCaroline Wostmann. Nonyaka uCharne uthathe indawo yesithathu kwiComrades enqotshwe nguCamille Herron waseUnited States of America (USA) esigabeni sabesifazane.
Abadidiyeli beMandela, bakuqinisekisile ukuthi uMthembu noCharne bangamanxusa alo mjaho ogubha unyaka wesi-6 wasungulwa nonyaka. Kulo mjaho kubhekeke ukuthi abasubathi baseNingizimu Afrika bathwale kanzima njengoba zikhona zombili izingqwele zanyakenye nezangowezi-2015 kwi-marathon. Nyakenye kunqobe uTsepang Ramonene osubathela iPhantane waseLesotho noSalal Alebachew weNedbank wase-Ethiopia.
Nokho amarekhodi alo mjaho aphethwe kuleli njengoba elabesilisa likuThobani Chagwe owalibeka ngo-2:27 ngowezi-2014. UChagwe uzokube eyingxenye yalo mjaho. Elabesifazane liphethwe ngu-Irvette van Zyl ngo-2:47 nokho ozokube engekho. No-Irvette ulenze ngowezi-2014. U-Irvette utshele leli phephandaba ngeledlule ukuthi ngeke alibambe iqhaza kwiMandela njengoba elungiselela iCape Town City Marathon.
UChagwe ekhuluma naleli phephandaba, uthe: “Sengikwenze konke. Sengilindele usuku lwalo mjaho, futhi ngendlela engiziqeqeshe ngayo ngizimisele ngokuphinda engikwenze ngowezi-2014. Uma ngihluleka ukunqoba ngizolwela ukungena nabokuqala abathathu.”
Umbango omkhulu kulindeleke ukuthi ube phakathi kwabasubathi bakuleli, abaseKenya nabase-Ethiopia kanti amakilabhu abhekiwe yiMaxed Elite, iPhantane, iNedbank ukubala nje ambalwa. Izingqwele zizohlomula ngo-R100 000 kwi-42km, u-R20 000 kwi-21km no-R10 000 ku-10km kanti yomithathu le mijaho izokuba ngeSonto. NgoMgqibelo kuzokuba neTrial Run, umjaho wamabhayisikili, iTriathlon neFun Run.
Lo mjaho uzovezwa bukhoma kwiSABC 2 nakwi-1KZN TV kanti uzokube uhanjelwe yinkosi uMandla Mandela nezinye izikhulu eziphuma kwaMandela. Bayakhunjuzwa abasubathi ukuthi kumele balande izinombolo zabo eMoses Mabhida Stadium, eThekwini, naseRoyal Show Grounds eMgungundlovu.