SIPHOFANENI – The SNAT Big Bend Branch Half Marathon began with a solemn tribute to two members of the athletics community on Saturday.
Event Coordinator Victor ‘Mavikana’ Dlamini called on runners at Siphofaneni Plaza to observe a moment of silence for South African runner Elizabeth ‘Tsontso’ Moselakgomo and local athletics official and teacher Emmanuel Gumedze.
Moselakgomo, 38, was a well-known runner who competed for Team Vitality and Waterfall City Athletics Club. She disappeared on September 9 after leaving her home in Kempton Park for an afternoon run, with her body later identified by her family. Athletics South Africa subsequently mourned her death and highlighted concerns over the safety of women participating in sport and exercise.
Her death has resonated strongly with the running fraternity in Eswatini, with local athletes previously dedicating runs to her memory. Eswatini ultra-runner Andreas Simelane also completed a 109km tribute run in her honour, while other runners across the country joined solidarity runs.
Moselakgomo was not only an avid runner but also a mother to an eight-year-old daughter. She had recently completed the Wanderers half-marathon in Johannesburg before her death, making the tribute particularly poignant for fellow runners who saw her as part of the wider Southern African running family.
The runners also remembered Gumedze, a teacher and athletics official whose contribution to the sport was acknowledged at the event. He tragically died in a truck accident on September 17, 2026. Dlamini urged participants to pause before the race and honour his memory alongside that of Moselakgomo.
The moment of silence set a reflective tone before runners embarked on the half marathon, turning the event into not only a test of endurance but also an opportunity for the athletics fraternity to remember two people connected to the sport.
Leave a comment