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Tshwantsho Media March 2025 Recap Welcome to yet another edition of our letter. Happy April fools, and no, this is not another joke. March gave us a back-to-back of Run Alex 10km and Makoro Village Marathon. We spend our Human Rights Day weekend with runners and travelling between the races. It was our second year with both races, and we hope to reach double digits with both. Run Alex was a sold-out affair, with over 2200 entries sold for the race, doubling the numbers from 2024 making the event the biggest race to be held in Alexander in recorded history. Sphiwe Nkosi of Run Alex speaking to Mapaseka Mokwele on radio 2000 prior to race mentioned that the common question asked when the race was founded was “where will the people run?”. This refers to the commonly known space constraints prevalent in the historic township. The 2000 plus starters would prove that yes, it is possible to stage such an event under such constraints. This is a lesson to all of us that where there is a vision there will inevitably be a way. The team pulled all stops to make sure that things happen. The Johannesburg City Executive Mayor, Mr Dada Morero had the honour of shooting the starting gun, releasing the over 2000 runners on what would for some be their first, a cultural exchange, and an adventure of Alex. The streets of Alex met the runners with a jovial mood of the township residents, characteristic of so many other township races, with cheers along the route, all the way to the finish line. The challenge for the best bus was on, and clubs like Chillie Runners, Rainbow, Waterfall City AC, Fats Cats, SAPS, Azania, Team Vitality and Long Distance Runners amongst others, went full steam to create the festive mood with matching outfits and song. Azania AC went home with the prize. Congratulations to them, we hope they find it in them to share with us. Kean Domingo was the first to cross the line 00:32:05 after the gun, followed by Lesetja Papo and Elvis Tau, while the ladies race went to Tshegofatso Vocho with Samantha Shabalala in second position and Simphiwe Mabuza closing the top three. It was another successful event by both Run Alex AC, which is now in its 7th year of existence and tittle sponsor Adreach, proving that corporate and social partnerships can play a critical role in creating lasting change in the societies they live and operate in. We applaud this partnership, and hope it inspires other relationships of a similar nature. Congratulations to both the organisers and the participants for the incident free event. Kean Domingo took the men’s race in 0:32:05 followed by Lesetja Papo and Elvis Tau | #adreachalex10k top three open Upon wrapping up the Run Alex race, we packed and headed to Limpopo ga-bomma, for the Mokoro Village Marathon. The toll gates rates have gone up a bit, so we felt the pinch. Just like the year 2024, it was such a vibe. The race has grown leaps and bounce and continues to grow. We generally do not have a lot of such events in the villages, so kudos to the organisers. Held in Ga-Molepo, the race features beautiful mountain views, landscapes, and green vegetation that makes the race a delight to both run and photograph. The sunrise was particularly amazing, and one had to remain focused on the runners and not get carried away. Hosted by Polokwane AC on behalf of the John Makoro Mpe foundation, the race attracted runners from all over the Limpopo province, both far and near, while the Limpopo natives currently digging for gold in Gauteng also seized the opportunity to run on home soil. The race aims at promoting healthy living in the villages and as the mayor would say in his birthday speech, encourages kids to also aspire for the same when they grow up. Nothing is as powerful as a good example. The race has the power to stimulate sports tourism, with the domino effect of economic activity and growth. The sponsored water points were so well stocked with essentials and delicacies to the point of evoking jealousy from the photographer, and writer. One needs to be strategically positioned for the next race for maximum benefit. The race is known to attract SADC and Kenyan athletes particularly. To everyone’s Surprise Jackson Chilimo and Gladys Ngure, the perennial winners were not present. However, there was ample Kenyan representation. From Zimbabwe, comrades Gold Medalist Mike Fokoroni, who was in the company of other comrades’ gold medallists and local boys Letsatsi Photo and Modibe Mamabolo was also present. It was Rirhandzu Rangane of SAPS who would win the marathon race, followed in the colours of Entsika Jonas Makhele, with Kenyan Julis Korir closing the top 3. Local girl, in the colours of Pietersberg AC Martinique Cronje was first over the line, followed by Tebogo Mokgosinyane and Elizabeth Chemweno of Kenya. In the 21km race the top 3 males was made up of Philemon Koskey, Mothopi Malatji and Kemoreng Moabankwe, while the SA ladies made sure of a local clean sweep of Elizabeth Hutamo, Maphuti Phaka and Gina Ngoetjana. Conlcuding the results with the 10km, we had Reghen Magwai, Tebogo Pelusa, and closing with Alex Sello in the men’s race, while local girl Kamogelo Mogano, under the guidance of Castor and Violet Semenya took the race, followed by Roseline Isiah of Kenya, and Sedzani Maluta. Sponsors Telkom Business and Vodacom Business made sure the athletes walked away with some beautiful goodies. Well-done to all the athletes. In other athletics activities, we visited the Om Die Dam ultra marathon again and had fun capturing beautiful moments there. The race was for the first time not going around the dam, but was successful nevertheless. The National ASA junior championships have just concluded at the Greenpoint stadium, and lots of cream went to the top. The future of SA athletics looks bright. We look forward to April activity and what it has to offer. On the track and field front, we were treated to exhilerating action from the Continental Grandprix in Tshwane at Pilditch, as well as the Joburg GrandPrix at University of Johannesburg a week later. The event perennially attracts athletes from across Africa and the globe. This year was no exception. Tebogo Letsile graced our shores once again, before flying off to Sydney. Rethobogile Haingura recorded the fastest time on African soil in the 800m, the 400x4 ladies relay recorded a record time, while Bayanda Walaza continues to shine, Leandri Holtzhauzen broke the hammer throw ladies record amogst the many highlights. We write this letter, on the brink of the Two Oceans Marathon, and runners have already started descending to the bottom of the continent. All the best to those participating and safe travels to the travellers. Till our next edition, stay active, stay healthy and stay blessed. End! Runners podcast with Rotokgolo - 2025 Adreach Alex 5&10km Run MAKORO JOHN MPE FOUNDATION - Award Giving ceremony marathon

It has been a little while since our last edition. There is a lot of catching up to do. Dumelang bagolo. September was as action filled, as it was fun filled. We covered a few thousand kilometers while at it. Our first work in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, the province of the rising sun came in the form of Mpumalanga Marathon. The million-rand prize per winner was also the inaugural for such a huge purse within the South African borders. Runners from all over the country and outside gathered to fight for the millions. It was Lesotho’s Jobo Khatoane of Maxed Elite who came out tops in the men’s race, while Ethiopian Tadu Nare of Nedbank coquered the ladys’ race in the tough but beautiful route. One can only hope the prize purse inspires other races to buckle up and increase their own prize purse. From Mpumalanga we passed through the beautiful Tzaneen, then ascended the scenic Magobaskloof landscapes to Seshego Marathon . The main event, the Ultra Marathon, had the gun going off at Mankweng, as the runners made their way to the Seshego stadium, in the scorching Limpopo heat. The perennial winner of the Limpopo races, Gladys Jepchichir of Kenya and Nedbank was once again the winner of the lady’s race, while the men’s race was won by Given Baloyi of Carlton Athletics. The announcements about the next addition of the race are already out. Be on the lookout for the social media announcements. Fortress Running Series Venda Plaza was once again a marvel of a race. The Eden of South Africa once again attracted great talents in the form of Mulaudzi, who won the 21km race, and comrades marathon gold medalist. The Limpopo edition of the race was once again welcomed with warmth by the participants. We were excited to have a double header in the form of Ford 3 in 1 , and Redstar Marathon on the same day. Both races produced both excitement, fun and athleticism. We were pleased to serve both as excellently as we could, stretching our team, and establishing our credibility as a race photography service provider. We are growing with both races, and the future looks bright for the three of us. As always, friends of Tshwantsho, the Tembisa Mile delivered on the promise to be a running party. The race has produced Olympians and continues to showcase the best of the up and coming and established talent. The 10km race produce an edge of the seat duel between Thabang Mosiako and Elroy Gelant. Mosiako made his intentions clear early in the race with a bullet pace right off the starting gun, only for Elroy to overtake with 2km to go, so to finish in scintillating fashion. Mosiako would finish second, while ABSA Joburg runner up, Chris Mahlanga finished 3rd. The ladies race winner was Karabo Mailula, followed bu her stable mates, Karabo and Karabo. The mile race was won by Luaan, while Munnik from Potchefstroom in a start studded lineup, while US based Carina Viljoen exerted her authority early to win the ladies’ race. The junior mile races were as usual, provided a platform for the young ones to showcase their talent at the new and bigger venue, the Olifantsfontein Sports Grounds. We hope this talent is kept in the game. Dubbed “the people’s race”, the Soweto Marathon didn’t disappoint. The sold-out affair finished at the old venue, the Nesrec centre. It was Nedbank’s Onalenna Khokhobe who stole the race in the last kilometer and finished first ahead of Joseph Seutloali who had the race in the bag late in the race. Neheng Kgatala finished in the ladies’ race in dominant fashion, while Galaletsang Mekgoe was 8th and first South African. I have lamented the lack of local female contenders and really hope we will have a solution soon. Jacaranda City, as Pretoria is affectionately called was purple once again, as runners endured the rain to compete in the Jacaranda City Challenge . Runners filled the streets of Queenspark, Kilnerpark and surrounds to qualify for the Comrades Marathon. The relatively flat route offered runners a good race, while the weather was perfect for such an endeavor. Philani Buthelezi of the host club Faranani ensured that the money stayed home, while Jolande McLean was victorious in the ladies’ race. Our day would end at Centurion for the soccer awards at Centurion Blues Football Club . We wish the youngsters the best of luck. It would be great to see them wearing PSL regalia one day. Our friend Obed Baloyi and his colleagues are doing a wonderful job there. Well-done to them. The launch of the Tshwane North Ultra Marathon was held at the new sponsors’ offices in Centurion. The Mpileng Group is now the title sponsor for the Pretoria North Race. The race director promised the toughest route yet, as the new route added several other new hills. The Ikhaya Lethu year-end offered wine and food at the La-Beato in Muldersdrift. The young athletics club celebrated the member’s achievement of the past year, while offering cash incentives for the Comrades Marathon finishers. We are grateful to share in the team’s achievements. We hope they spend some of the reward money on us. We are grateful to share in the team’s achievements. We were please to have had a few shots at the Ride Jozi cycling event with the Daveyton Athletics Club at Kyalami Grandprix Circuit. On a personal note, we were inspired by Oswald Kydd who is an amputee athlete, riding his bike with only his right leg. We take note and will tackle our challenges despite some perceived and actual limitations. We hope to be at the race in a bigger capacity in the upcoming years. This opens up our world of cycling. Obituary We end on a sad note with the departure of one of Athletics stalwarts in Collen McNally who sadly lost her battle to cancer. She was open about her struggles and shared her experiences on her social media page. We have known Collen as a friend and some of the words that will remain with us for the long time are “ give me a call if you don’t come right ". She was always willing to help. We will miss her passion for athletics, and her dedication to the sport. Condolences to the family in this difficult time. General In general matters we continue to observe the ministry of sports with interest. We also hope to see more people in athletics using their influence to channel resources to the development of the sport and supporting elite athletes. Preparations for the next Olympics start as soon as now. We saw great performances by the Paralympics team, and we hope to ride on the success of the team henceforth. We are almost at the end of the season, and we hope our athletes are well rested for the resumption of the season early next year. Keep your eyes peeled for our next events. There has been a lot of activity on the recent past, most of which we did not cover. Thanks for your continued support on social media and everywhere we go. You are appreciated. #Tshwantsho

From Paris 24, Youth Championships, and the way forward. The athletics world has been extremely busy since our inaugural edition. We witnessed Olympic history as Tebogo “Schoolboy” Letsile became the first African man to win the Olympics 200m gold ahead of the US favourites. He later led his team in the 4x400m silver, in an event he claims he is not ready for. One can only wonder what will happen the day he is ready. Justin Gaitlin probably feels like a true prophet, having called this win earlier in the year. The significance of Tebogo’s exploits can never be overstated for Batswana and Africa at large. Joseph Makwala should be proud of this progress, after laying the foundation in prior years. Growing up I witnessed the likes of Mourice Green and Michael Jonhson do the same, and I was convinced I would be a sprinter too. Little did I know that I would write about sprinters and photograph them instead; a very close second to sprinting I suppose. Mourice particularly had this way with the crowd, that made him the epitome of cool for the young me. Tebogo, the much quitter version, is doing much the same for the current generation of kids who aspire to be sprinters too. This is such a big deal for the African continent . My hope is that this keeps rolling, and that the Federation of Botswana builds on the momentum by unearthing more talent and supporting it. In an Olympics that saw Jamaicans lose their grip of their dominance in the sprints, power might be shifting to Southern Africa. Time will tell. Akani Simbine et al wrote SA and Africa into the history books in fire by winning the 4x100m men’s relay, in an episode that saw the star-studded USA team fumble the baton in the interchange. Bradley Nkoana cheering Akani to victory remains one of my most iconic memories of the Paris Olympics. The team would later arrive to a warm welcome of emotional family and excited South Africans. An emotional Bayanda Walaza grabbed his school principal in an emotional embrace, that would have broken a frail man, and his mom was in tears, while Nkoana’s grandmother did the same for the man from the North of Pretoria. The highly decorated Tatjana Smith received a R100 note from a fan for bringing home gold. I also want fans like that when I become famous. The universe is listening. The minister of Sports was there to welcome the team, a bus load of Curro Hazeldean leaners filled the PR Tambo arrivals, adding to the excitement for the kid of the moment, Bayanda Walaza. US based Shaun Maswanganyi would arrive a day later to focused media attention. Both Bayanda and Bradley ’s stories highlight the triumph of the human spirit, having experienced tragedies at a a young age; a sad reality that is more of a common occurrence than it is a rarity. Both conquered, and we draw inspiration from that. There are not enough words to describe Siffan Hassan and her exploits at the Olympics, with a whole set of medals, the Gold, Silver and Bronze in multiple events. Her endurance, recovery and competitive spirit should be a subject of study for athletics in this current era. She did what we call: the impossible . A whole generation of girls is watching moghirl!! Overall, the USA continues its dominance in the athletics arena, with many calling for SA to adopt a similar schools and varsity athletics structure. Of course, Faith Kipyegon would not leave empty handed either, coming away with two medals, in an Olympics that saw the Kenyan Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge bail out of the marathon event. Our very own Elroy Gelant would miss a top 10 position in the same event, coming 11th  in a performance that marks a very good year for the Potchefstroom man, while country man Stephen Mokoka also finished the marathon. Glenrose Xaba once again proved to be the current form girl, winning the Spar ladies ahead of Tadu Nare, the perennial winner of the race, topping it up with wins at the Total Sports Women’s Race, and concluding with the Tshwane Absa Series . Being the 10km record holder in the SA ladies 10km race, there seems to be no stopping for the Mpumalanga born girl. Who knows? By the time we share our next edition, she might have wrapped it up with the Joburg Absa race. We wait in anticipation. Another US based athlete Adriaan Wildshutt broke yet another record, albeit his own, in Poland, Krakow at the Slesia diamond league, earning himself 8th place in the 3000m event. This is in line with his 2024 record breaking exploits, having broken the men’s 1000m SA record in Paris earlier this month. Adrian has been in unbelievable form this year. Records continue to fall whenever he runs. In the lesser famed news, Tshwantsho, following the success at Soweto Cabal, was once again privileged to be official photographer at the Eyethu Fitness Tester at the Quagga centre in Pretoria west. We had as much fun as we did at Soweto. The cross-country season is almost coming to an end with the ASA National Champs almost here. The AGN Cross Country champions had all the elements of excitement, adrenaline, and of course dust . It was a great day out.  Our own development kids at Flying School Athletics Academy had a good outing too, with the majority headed to the national champions. Cross country competition remains one of the cornerstones of athlete development, and we are not without a depth of talent. One can only hope the talent gets nurtured right through to the seniors. Waterfall AC hosted their most successful 21km race to date. The “Woolies” of running clubs as they are affectionately called, seem to have a recipe for hosting such races. We wait in anticipation for the next event. Yours truly might be fit to run again next time around. Failing which, there’s always a camera. We were privileged to be part of the Supersport Wheelchair Championships in Mendeville, Johannesburg. Inclusivity in sports is our passion, and we would be elated so see some of the team members ending up at the Paralympics one day. The athleticism and competition on the day were beyond what we expected. We were introduced to a whole new world by the GBT Mongoose team. The Daveyton Hearts, in the East Rand called us to be part of their annual race, and once again we delivered. Daughter dearest had the baptismal on the day, shooting her first race. The young girl clinching a fist in the air remains the highlight of our trip. We continue to advocate for township events, not only for the athletics, for the impact it does to the mindsets of the kids there. Vutta Cycling club in Daveyton is an example of such a difference. Thank you Daveyton Hearts for calling Tshwantsho. The under 20 Championships are currently underway in Lima, the capital of Peru. Tshwantsho had the opportunity to spend the time with the team at the Johannesburg track stadium. Bayanda Walaza and Bradley Nkoana have already announced their presence with dominant displays in the 100m sprint heats, before going ahead to get gold and bronze respectively hardly two weeks after getting Olympic silver. We congratulate the boys as they return some of the precious metals back to Africa. Our minister of sports is now almost two months in the office. I still wait to see what he has in store for us. There have been many promises, lots of talk, and lots of media attention from the charismatic minister. I would be happy to see where we start in addressing the problems we experience in our athletics and in our sports in general. School sports has already been identified as a quick win, and one of the ways to address ills of society that our kids face. The hype is subsiding, and it would be great to see concrete plans to address the issues around sports facilities, athlete support and empowering the athletics structures. The Sinaba stadium in Daveyton is an example of what we used to have in terms of facilities and is just an example of many. The level of decay and deterioration caught some of us off-guard. I generally shy away from politics, but I always make exceptions, and really hope the minister tackles some of these issues, head on if one may add. Communities also need to take ownership and care of their facilities too. This not only holds potential for jobs, but also alternative activities for our kids, and hopefully a few medals at the Olympics. This simplistic view is not necessarily a blueprint for anything, but we are desperate for anything in the right direction. As we conclude, So much has happaned since our first Newsletter, the U20 team is set to return in a few days, and the paralympics are in progress. That will definitely be our departure point of our third edition. Tshwantsho is open and welcome to any collaborations for worthy causes and advertising opportunities for your sporting events. Our services are available on request, and we do full event photography, including the sale of digital photos from a central repository, event marketing photos and social media management. Let’s create your content together. We remain light-hearted, and serious at the same time, and will relentlessly pursue worthy athletics and sporting causes that touch our hearts. Please follow our Facebook page, we are targeting 100k followers. Till next time, stay active, God speed! Malome Tumza