In a statement released on Thursday, the NPC said the marathon will continue as planned and they will organise the 42.2km, 21.1km, and 10km races, with African Bank confirmed as the event sponsor.

The NPC was chosen to run the 2025 Soweto Marathon after getting support from nine out of eleven Soweto athletics clubs, and Mbuli says this new structure will bring better management and financial transparency.

"This race belongs to the athletics clubs of Soweto and will now be run by the people, for the people," said Mbuli.

Mbuli added that the Soweto Marathon Trust (SMT), which used to run the event, has not functioned properly since April 2023 and failed to provide audited financial reports for more than three years.

"Because of this, three trustees were removed from athletics and are no longer allowed to speak for the race," he noted.

READ: Nedbank Running Club concerned over possible Soweto Marathon cancellation

But the SMT last week held a press conference and told SABC Sport that it plans to take legal action to stop the NPC from organising the marathon.

"This race is our property. We will fight to protect it. The people trying to take over are former trustees using a private company to hijack our race," said SMT spokesperson Stan Itshegetseng.

"We’re going to court to stop them. The company that organised last year’s race was not appointed to do so, but the Soweto Marathon belongs to the Soweto Marathon Trust (SMT).

"An NPO cannot launch or organise a race that doesn’t belong to them. We submitted our application to host the race through Central Gauteng Athletics, not through a newly formed NPO."

WARREN WHITELEY

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