SPORT WITH LEBO: The Corner Flag – Isaac was about people

The evening of September 6 ripped a hole in our athletics family. We lost a coach, mentor, and, for me personally a brother – Isaac Ndlovu.

We also lost two faithful supporters of the sport, Thandeka and Muriel Shuping, mother and sister of promising Benoni Northerns Athletic Club middle-distance athlete, Kgalalelo.

While I mourn with the Shuping family for their loss, Isaac’s passing hit me in ways I can’t explain because of what he meant to the development of athletics in Central Gauteng.

Isaac wasn’t just about times, medals, or training schedules.

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He was about people. He poured himself into his athletes, built them up despite a lack of support, and reminded us that running is not only about the finish line, but also about the spirit you carry on the journey.

His presence lit up training grounds; his laughter carried across the fields, and his quiet words of encouragement often spoke louder than any roar from the crowd.

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Now that voice is silent.

A cruel crash on the R50 in Delmas stole him from us. And yet, even in his absence, his lessons live. They are in the determination of his athletes, the friendships he nurtured, and in the way he made us believe we could be better – as runners, coaches, journalists, and people.

He lived and breathed athletics development.

He couldn’t stand seeing Daveyton, a community that produced soccer stars like Jabu Pule and Pollen Ndlanya, reduced to a laughingstock after once being a magnet for PSL scouts searching for the next big thing.

He made it his mission to restore pride in the township.

Through East Athletic Club (EAC), with the support of a few loyal hands, his work was starting to show.

Mahlatse Mamonyane’s consistency in cross-country and track and field was proof of Isaac’s grind, while sprinters like Nqobile Banda were beginning to break through. He achieved this with almost no resources.

When the Benoni City Times gifted him a starting block – donated during our Be A Sport Mandela Month initiative – his joy said it all. He called it the only tool his athletes truly needed. That was Isaac – resourceful, relentless, and turning scraps into success.

Now, Mahlatse, Nqobile, Katlego Dlamini, and many others have lost their pillar, a giant who made things happen.

When Isaac spoke about development, his words shook the Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) boardroom and left officials rattled.

The question is, how does EAC move forward without him? I call on leaders like Sibongile Nkosi and Kwanda Longoza to keep Isaac’s dream. They must deliver on his vision – Mahlatse on the Olympic stage and Banda as a provincial and national 100m champion.

CGA, too, must act. If they truly want to honour Isaac, they must invest in grassroots athletics. Isaac knew better than anyone that without development, there is no future for this sport.

Isaac may be gone, but his blueprint for building champions is right in front of us, and it demands to be followed.

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