Rest in peace Zet, thanks for the good times

Legends. . . Zithulele Sinqe runs ahead of another roadrunning super star Willie Mtolo in 1986

Each time when I drive past ERPM in Boksburg, along Rondebult Road, one name springs to mind: Ernest Seleke. The association comes from the memory of Seleke running in a vest with ERPM emblazoned across the chest area.

Back then, in the 1980s, I did not even know that ERPM was an abbreviation for a mine, and that the initials stood for East Rand Propriety Mine. To me ERPM was Seleke, not the gold mine it actually was.

Stock, as the lithe running machine was known, was a marvel to watch on TV during that time of my schooldays. However, he was not alone among the crop of SA runners who were nurtured and sponsored by the mines to excel in their sport – both on track and on the road – at that time. There were many products of the mines and parastatals but I can immediately single out Xolile Yawa, Matthew Temane, Gibeon Moshaba, Matthew Batswadi, Ben Choeu and much later Zithulele Sinqe.

Sinqe was laid to rest on the last day of 2011, at his home village of Maqinebeni in the former Transkei. He died just before Christmas, doing what he loved most – working for athletics. He died in a road accident, while he was driving back from his work with an athletics club in Balfour, a small town in South Africa's Mpumalanga province.

This article is inspired by his dedication to athletics, a sport which opened opportunities for him. Sinqe had his future well-mapped out when he left the Transkei as a 21 year old young man. It was common for men in the Transkei to leave their villages in search of work on the mines in other provinces. Sinqe, whose intelligence belied his limited formal education, also looked to the mines –  not to work underground but to pound the tar for athletics glory.

Unlike the Seleke, Temane and company, Sinqe went to the mines specifically to advance a running career. It did not take long for his ambition to be realised, as he won races immediately on arrival at East Driefontein in Carletonville in 1986, including setting the new SA marathon record of 2hrs 8min 4sec the same year. He did that, aged just 21, by beating favourite Willie Motolo by 11 seconds.

His epic battle with Temane in the 1987 SA half-marathon championship was a stuff of legends, with both men recording a world’s best of 60.11. Temane was declared the winner for crossing the line first, and their time would stand as the world’s best for 10 years!

I had the pleasure of covering his races as a sports journalist later on, and Zet was simply our favourite in the media vehicles. He always had something to say, something hilarious or philosophical – depending on circumstances. It was even great pleasure to mix with him when after  retirement he was a commentator for the SABC.

Zet was humble and thoughthful, mourning the demise of South Africa’s edge in road-running internationally. Even more crucial, he bemoaned the lack of the kind of support the mines and the parastatals such as Eskom, Transnet and Sasol gave his sport in the past. 

Two years ago the town of Balfour burst into flames, which also ate up the local library, as residents protested against poor services in their area. In actual fact, the Balfour people were venting their anger at the lack of opportunities in their area. A lot was promised to change their situation but not much happened, well, according to my experience as I often stop over there on my trips to my parents’ home town of Standerton.

But Sinqe quietly got involved by starting the Dipaleseng Athletic Club in conjuction with a local mine. At least he realised one of his wishes when Burnstone Mine supported his venture in Balfour, a deprived town to which he had moved to change lives there.

It is sad that many of us did not know about this gesture by Zet, until the road accident on December 22 claimed his life.

Rest in peace, Zet – you did good. The challenge now is to find out how the likes of Seleke, Temane and Yawa are doing in their golden years, lest we are remorseful for ignoring them when they pass on.