Central Gauteng Athletics withdraws its nomination list from ASA elections

The vote – set for this Saturday at the Southern Sun Hotel in Johannesburg – will no longer include any candidates endorsed by CGA.

The decision is a major setback for Gladwin Mzazi, the former World Student Games 10 000 m champion, who was CGA’s nominee for ASA Athletes’ Commission chairperson.

ASA president James Moloi and CGA vice-president Karabo Mabilo, who is contesting the ASA vice-president position, also lose CGA support.

Mabilo, however, remains in the running, having secured four additional nominations from other provinces.

Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) general manager Mandla Radebe confirmed the withdrawal to the national broadcaster, expressing sympathy for Mzazi, who was deeply affected by the council’s decision.

Radebe now faces the tough responsibility of drafting a letter to Athletics South Africa (ASA) to formally communicate the council’s decision to remove themselves from the list just days before the elections.

“Yes, it’s true—CGA has officially withdrawn its list of nominations for the ASA elections following a council meeting,” Radebe confirmed in an exclusive interview with SABC Sport.

“The council decided to retract the nominations that were initially submitted by the province, and as a result, CGA will not be participating in the elections.

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That was the resolution and the outcome of our meeting.

We have not yet informed ASA or the higher structures of our mother body, which is going to be a difficult task.

I feel for Mzazi—he’s heartbroken. He was eager and ready to serve at that level, but unfortunately, this is how the process unfolded.”

The CGA council stated that the submitted nominations list was not compiled properly — a situation a reliable source described as a deliberate attempt to derail the elections.

Radebe explained, “The council reviewed the matter and decided the list must be withdrawn.

They will not compile a new list and will retract the names already submitted. According to them, the nominations were never shared with the clubs, and the process was flawed because the clubs were excluded.”

The biggest loser in this situation is the province itself, which is the second largest in the country.

According to a reliable source, it is unprecedented for such a major province to fail to endorse a candidate or cast its vote during the elections.