Half-marathon set to honour Dr Mathews Phosa

The inaugural Dr Mathews Phosa Half-marathon is set to hit White River this Saturday, February 24, to honour the chairperson of Special Olympics of South Africa, Dr Mathews Phosa, for his vital contributions to business sectors andphilanthropy.

Phosa will deliver an address on Friday to unpack topics on socioeconomic issues, which the marathon targets in order to eradicate, such as gender-based violence and challenges faced by persons with disabilities.

Phosa and football legends such as Mark Fish, Portia Modise, Edward Motale, George Lebese, Jabu Pule (Mahlangu) and more will participate in the Intimate Relationships and GBVF Colloquium at Hotel 247 @ White River on February 23.

The marathon’s organiser, the Mpumalanga NPO Association’s Sipho Zitha, said: “This braai dinner is a build-up to the marathon as a way to tackle some of the issues faced by communities. We encourage locals to join the dinner by reserving a seat for R350 per person and R500 per couple. Monies can be paid to the FNB account number 63072788129, using your South African ID number as reference. Bookings close on Friday at 13:00 and the dinner starts at 17:00.”

Zitha said the soccer legends will also participate in a line-up of activations starting at Riverside Mall to Masoyi when orphanages, early childhood development centres (ECD) and disability centres will be visited with donations of school shoes and sanitary towels on Friday. After the marathon, they will take part in an exhibition soccer game.

“To watch the game, locals can register to take part in any of the races in the marathon or make a booking for the dinner to get a free ticket.”

To participate in the marathon, register on www.entrygeek.com. It will cost R50 for the 4.9km, R120 for the 10km, and R160 for the 21.1km races. A temporary license will cost R40.

The marathon will start at Hoërskool Rob Ferreira in White River at 06:00 and also finish there.

Free T-shirts will be given to the first 200 runners to enter the 21.1km. Persons with disabilities are also encouraged to enter. Zitha called for ECD centres, athletes with disabilities and GBV organisations in Mpumalanga to apply to benefit muchneeded resources.

“ECD centres will be donated school shoes for learners, and R600 000’s worth of a bursary funds will go toward ECD level 4 training.

“There will be a R250 000 fund to empower GBV organisations with training, while athletes with disabilities will also be equipped with capacity development.”

Applications for beneficiaries can be made on the marathon’s website, www.drmathewsphosamarathon.org.za. For more information, Zitha can be contacted on 082 258 7869 and Sibongile Mlombo on 082 935 8065.