Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
FIVE years after it had seemingly gone off the radar, the African Union Sports Council Region 5 marathon returned over the weekend with South Africa hosting a successful event that brought together athletes from the region.
The event, launched in 2016, is one of the several initiatives by Region 5 to promote sport, inclusivity, unity and healthy lifestyles, among other issues.
The return of the event, running under the theme “Africa United”, left AUSC Region 5 chief executive officer Stanley Mutoya an excited man.
“We are very happy to note that even after the setback we experienced with covid-19 in 2020 and 2021, we needed to find a way of getting the event back again, to start activating again.
“We wanted to start last year, but we encountered a few technicalities because the recovery after covid was a bit slow, and we decided then to re-organise,” said Mutoya.
The AUSC Region 5 consists of 10-member countries — Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Each of the member countries are expected to field a team, supported by the government for the event. But the event remains open to clubs, national federations, individuals and other countries outside the region that are interested in taking part.
Hosts, South Africa, were joined by Angola, Malawi, Eswatini and Namibia. There were Kenyans that also participated.
South Africa-based athletes from countries such as Zimbabwe and Lesotho were also part of the event representing their clubs.
Zimbabwe’ Rutendo Nyahora and Charles Soza, based in South Africa, were part of the field in the 10km.
Prior to Sunday’s event in Pretoria, it had been shelved for five years due to Covid-19, and as it bounced back on the calendar, Region 5 focused on 21.1km because of limited planning time.
Participants also took part in 10km, 5km official race and 5km fun run, and 1mile (1.6km) race for people with disabilities.
Other countries that have previously hosted the event are Malawi in 2016, Mozambique in 2017 and Namibia, which hosted two editions — in 2018 and 2019.
It presents a platform where the 10-member countries interact beyond sport, and on Sunday, there were exhibitions from different businesses and locals showcasing their beadwork — ranging from bracelets to handbags, among other stuff.
“It’s the confluence of sport, arts and culture which defines who we are as Africans.
“Our intention is to make it into a business expo, where entities that have got to do with sport, whether it’s energy drinks, whether it’s in gyms, or whether it’s insurance companies, we want them to be here and be able to interface with communities.
“We are happy that we had over 4 000 participants that came to this event, and more than 40 percent of them were women.
“We also saw quite a number of young children and young people being here. That is also a very critical target group for an event such as this.
“We are trying to deal with things such as drugs and substance abuse, to discourage our young people from indulging in such,” said Mutoya.
The event is World Athletics accredited.
CAA Southern Region president Zakhele Dlamini was pleased to see athletes from countries outside the region also on the start line.
“Africa United” — that is our motto.
“And we are happy that besides the 10 member countries, we are able to even receive other athletes from other countries in the African continent.
“And this surely tells you that, yes, sports can unite people. And we are looking forward to more competitions like this and more numbers for this event.”
The next edition is scheduled for October 9, 2026.
