Five months after the 2025 Soweto Marathon was held on 29 November, none of the top finishers have received their prize money. The event’s organising body, the Soweto Marathon Non-Profit Company (NPC), stands accused of taking the funds and disappearing.
Winners were promised R250,000, with runners-up set to receive R120,000. To date, not a single athlete has been paid.
Headline sponsor African Bank has confirmed that it transferred all required funds, including the full prize money, to the NPC. However, the organisation and its representatives – including spokesperson Jabu Mbuli – have allegedly vanished and cannot be contacted.
Athletes and industry insiders have accused the NPC of “hoodwinking” runners and “stealing the money of athletes”.
Government steps in
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has now intervened. His department announced that McKenzie will personally pay the 2025 winners their prize money.
In addition, the Minister is pushing for criminal charges of fraud to be laid against the organisers, with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) already investigating. McKenzie has also indicated that he will seek to have the NPC and its management banned from future sports administration.
Athletes speak out
Prominent runners, including multiple Comrades Marathon champion Gerda Steyn, have publicly complained about the non-payments and the damage to the historic race’s reputation. The Soweto Marathon is one of South Africa’s most iconic road events, and many fear the scandal will deter both runners and sponsors in future.
The NPA and SAPS have confirmed that investigations are ongoing. No criminal charges have been laid publicly as yet, and attempts by this publication to reach Jabu Mbuli or any representative of the Soweto Marathon NPC have been unsuccessful.
- Joseph Seutloali (Lesotho): The men’s winner is still owed R250,000.
- Gerda Steyn (South Africa): The third-place finisher confirmed in April 2026 that she has not received her winnings and described the lack of communication as “disappointing”.
- Hollywood Athletics Club: One of SA’s top clubs has officially withdrawn from all future Soweto Marathons, calling the organizers “untrustworthy”
