The Corner Flag: Safety should be priority at road races

For the third consecutive year, the Daveyton Street Mile has been marred by the same glaring issues – reckless motorists speeding along the 10km, 5km and mile routes, hurling insults at marshals and treating runners like obstacles rather than athletes.

Add to that the sorry state of the Sinaba Multipurpose Stadium, with its heaps of rubbish and neglect barely masked by a last-minute municipal clean-up, and the picture becomes clear: The CoE continues to hide its dirty linen rather than wash it.

The frustrations of runners and marshals were palpable.

Road safety is not just an afterthought at such events. It’s a basic requirement.

Yet, year after year, marshals are left to face verbal abuse from impatient drivers, while runners are forced to dodge speeding cars instead of focusing on their race. It’s a safety hazard waiting to turn into a tragedy.

Three years later, why hasn’t the race organiser, Daveyton Hearts, resolved all these issues?

Were motorists notified in time, with posters hung on street poles on the race route (as is the norm for races within residential areas and on busy roads), that there would be disruptions in parts of the township on August 31 during the event?

Someone said to me this was just how township races are. Really? I disagree because this is far from the truth. We can’t reduce bad planning and organisation to “This is how township races are”.

Not when Donald Mathipa’s running party in Thembisa (Thembisa Mile) has morphed into one of the best mile races in the country. Not when the Soweto Marathon, with all its politics, is becoming one of the best long-distance races organised by township clubs in Africa.

We can do better.

Then there’s the Sinaba Stadium – a historical venue that should inspire pride but instead stands as a symbol of neglect, from an unkempt and stinking outside perimeter to littered entrances.

The so-called picturesque view of the facility is only achieved through a frantic clean-up a few days before the event. It’s a cosmetic fix that does little to address the underlying problem of poor maintenance and a lack of care from residents and the municipality for a community facility.

Events like the Daveyton Street Mile deserve more than just lip service from those tasked with maintaining order and infrastructure. They bring people together, inspire young athletes and showcase local talent.

Yet as long as the same problems persist year after year, support for the event will continue to suffer.

Despite these recurring frustrations, the event still draws top talent, proof that athletes like Kabelo Mwahla, Melissa and Melinda Janse van Vuuren value the race and what it represents. Their presence reminds us that beneath the chaos and neglect, there is potential worth fighting for.

Imagine what this event could become if safety, infrastructure and organisation matched the passion of the runners who show up year after year?

Also Read: The Corner Flag: Patience is a virtue

Also Read: The Corner Flag: Athletes should take the spotlight, not administrators