The Pietermaritzburg street which houses the headquarters of the iconic Comrades Marathon has been renamed ‒ but it’s a half job, says the governing body. | Shelley Kjonstad/ Independent Newspapers
Durban — While welcoming a new name for the street that houses its HQ, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) said it was surprised at the missing “Marathon”.
CMA chairperson Mqondisi Ngcobo said it was an honour that the City recognised Pietermaritzburg as the home of the ultimate human race, but the job was only half done.
Connaught Street, long the headquarters for the ultra marathon, has been renamed Comrades Street, “acknowledging all who had been part of the race that transcends all boundaries,” said Ngcobo.
He was addressing a small gathering of public representatives from Msunduzi Municipality, including council speaker Eunice Majola, acting City manager Sabelo Hlela and CMA officials, at the offices on Thursday.
Ngcobo said it had been nearly three years since mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla committed to the change, and “at least as many years of lobbying from our side as the CMA. We lobbied for this road name change, based purely on the heritage significance of the Comrades Marathon in the City of Pietermaritzburg.
“Pietermaritzburg remains the home of the Comrades Marathon and we are grateful for that,” said Ngcobo.
However, he said the name change had fallen short of the CMA’s expectation.
“We were surprised to learn the name of the new road was going to exclude the word ‘Marathon’. Without the word ‘Marathon’, this name loses its meaning to us as the association,” he said.
“We have always been known and referred to as the Comrades Marathon (Association). This is the sentiment shared by the majority of our stakeholders, and it is a sentiment I need to share and convey on behalf of all our structures and committees, especially the Heritage and Traditions Committee.”
Ngcobo said the sub-committee of the board had jealously safeguarded the history, heritage and traditions of the iconic race. The CMA chairperson stressed that one of the key features of the marathon was that, as a road-running event with a rich heritage and history, the association was committed to the values of uniting the country through sport.
He quoted from a Daily Maverick article in which the author questioned “whether or not the heritage value of street names is taken sufficiently into account when changes are implemented, considering that street names act as containers of meaning; monuments of the intangible; and as visible reminders of a contested history that should not necessarily be obliterated from our townscapes”.
Majola said the renaming of streets and other public monuments was part of ensuring that a new society emerged out of a painful past of racial discrimination. She added that it was a lengthy process that involved an extensive public consultation process.
“Our city does not take the street renaming process lightly, in this instance the renaming of the street was not met by any challenges,” she said.
She added that the marathon placed not only the city on the map, but also the rest of KwaZulu-Natal, yielding massive benefits for the city’s economy.
Majola did not comment on any steps to add “Marathon” to the new street name.
Independent on Saturday
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