08.06.2025
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All security checks ticked ahead of Comrades Marathon

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  • [FILE IMAGE]: Comrades Marathon runners at the starting line.

3 minutes

National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Fannie Masemola has all reassured that all security checks have been ticked ahead of the Comrades Marathon tomorrow. Masemola says they are working hand in hand with the law enforcement partners in both Pietermaritzburg where the marathon starts and Durban where it finishes.

“We’ve got air support by means of helicopters and drones so that we are able to police areas that might not be easily visible. We’ve got our K9 that will be moving around. We’ve got mounted units. We’ve got motorbikes that are going to patrol in areas that might not have easy access by vehicles. So, we hope that we can put a good security for the environment to make sure that the marathon is executed without any major security event,” says Masemola.

He has also wished the 444 members of the SAPS Marathon Association who will be participating in the Comrades good luck.

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Masemola himself started running in the past two years.

“Police officers were allowed to train three times a week in the months leading up to Comrades. The fitter police officers are a benefit to the police the force. Just last week, I saw police chasing a protester on foot at the Walter Sisulu University in East London. If this guy had outrun the police, the whole nation and the whole world would have been watching and that would be a problem for us. But luckily, they ended up catching the person although other officers couldn’t keep up. So, somehow the Comrades helps the system by strengthening the physicality that is required when officers are at work,” he adds.

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 Siyabonga Ndlela, an officer from KwaZulu-Natal, says the comrades taught him to push through as he is looking to earn his green number this year.

“I must be honest; Comrades has taught me discipline. So, even when it comes to work, I’m a person who doesn’t give up easily because the training of the Comrades requires you to have perseverance.You have to have that drive to finish. So, each and every task in life now, because of the Comrades, has transformed my life. I just don’t want to give up,” says Ndlela.

Officer Lebogang Motshedi from the Northern Cape aims to complete his fourth Comrades in under nine hours.

“I’ve got three. I’m going for the 4th one now. I’m very much ready. I’ve trained a lot. So, I’m definitely ready for tomorrow. When I start the race, I’ll do it a bit slow and then pick up the momentum as time goes on,” says Motshedi.

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Comrades Marathon Association General Manager, Alain Dalais, says this year’s race will be a dry run for the 100th Comrades to be run in 2027.

He says with safety in mind, they have made a number of changes. This include splitting the race into 2 start times according to seeding batches – the first at 5:45 AM and the second at 6 AM.

 

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