Old Mutual Spirit of Comrades Awards 2015 winners

The Old Mutual Spirit of Comrades awards gala celebrates three awesome individuals annually for their very human attributes of selflessness, dedication, perseverance and Ubuntu; combined with their love for The Ultimate Human Race.

The prestigious awards gala has been a defining feature of the CMA since 1991. The three Spirit of Comrades recipients are presented with a one-ounce, 24 carat gold medallion, courtesy of major co-sponsor, Old Mutual, as well as due recognition of their remarkable qualities.

The awardees are nominated by CMA members, Comrades Marathon runners and the general public; and are subject to the discretion of the CMA Board. 

The awards criteria place special emphasis on Comrades Marathon winners, legends, volunteers and otherwise ordinary heroes and heroines; who through individual acts of service, sacrifice, courage or perseverance, either in a single race or over a period of time, exhibit the noble qualities associated with The Ultimate Human Race.

First recipient: Kabelo Ntsime

38-year-old Kabelo Ntsime is living proof that no matter how tough a start in life one has, with discipline and perseverance anything can be overcome. He survived five brutal years living on the streets of Johannesburg as a street child until he got help from a missionary school and a kind family who helped him to complete his schooling. He says, 'I believe that all children deserve that opportunity in life to go to school and be a great citizen in the community.'

Kabelo is now married with three children and lives in Midrand. Kabelo believes that it is now his time to give back to the community and the future generations by doing what he can to empower the little ones. For four years, he taught Latin and ballroom dancing to physically challenged children. He says this was a deeply fulfilling activity that meant as much to him as it did to the kids.  

Josiah Thugwana was the inspiration behind Kabelo taking up running. He has since done 4 consecutive Comrades Marathons, with his best time achieved at this year's race. He also went a step further by signing up for Race for Charity and raised 13-thousand rand for the Starfish Greathearts Foundation. His vision is for underprivileged people to dream big and achieve their goals. Kabelo tells us that his dream is to start a running club for children. He sees that our young South Africans have immense athletic talent. In his words, we need to forget about ourselves and focus on our younger generation.

Second recipient: Heidi Joubert

The second recipient of the coveted Spirit of Comrades award was Heidi Joubert. Heidi was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at 6 weeks old with a life expectancy of 10 years. She is now 32 years old, mostly thanks to running. As a child, she spent months in hospital but with running, she only needs intravenous antibiotic treatment four times a year. She takes 17 medications daily. 

The love for Comrades has been a very real part of Heidi's family. Her mom, Susan came second in the 1978 Comrades Women's Race. Both her mom and dad have run the race and are her biggest supporters. Heidi received her Comrades back-to-back medal this year. She says Comrades has been one of her life's most amazing experiences, especially when her family was there to support her during her first race and to celebrate her finish with her.

Heidi loves horses and works in the equestrian field in Kyalami, exercising horses and enjoying the time spent with these gentle creatures. The trend for lung function in cystic fibrosis patients is to decrease by 3% annually. However, fortunately for Heidi, her lung function has improved with running and she managed to maintain it at 70% for five years. 

Heidi says she has her good and bad days. When all is good, she runs every day and loves it. On bad days, her lungs hurt and it feels like she is breathing through a straw. She is grateful to her husband, Kenneth for his never-ending care and love. Her doctor, who has treated her for the past twelve years never stops motivating her and keeping her mentally strong.

Third recipient: Richard Malose Monisi

Last but not least of the recipients was Richard Malose Monisi. This amazing individual has shown each one of us that you need not let a disability come between you and your dreams. Richard was born blind with cataracts. At the age of ten, he underwent an eye operation which resulted in 5% sight in his left eye. Richard went on to school at the Philadelphia School for the Blind and then got a job as a switchboard operator at Success College.

Richard first came into contact with the running fraternity through a Rocky Road Runners Club member named Gerald Fox who was training other blind runners at the time and offered to train him as well. Through his active participation and enjoyment of running, Richard has gone on to meet new people and travel which has boosted his morale.

Richard displayed true tenacity at the 2014 Ultimate Human Race when his pilot, Florence, bailed 16km out of Durban. He then hauled out his white stick and ran the remainder of the route on his own, completing the Comrades in under 10 hours. 

This proud Green Number Club member has gone on to complete his 11th Comrades Marathon this year. Although he was once again abandoned by his pilot at Drummond, he completed the race on his own in a time of 8hours and 50 minutes, earning him a well-deserved Bill Rowan medal. 

Richard has been described as an extremely positive person who takes running without a pilot in his stride. He lives a simple life on his disability grant. The Comrades Marathon forms a huge part of Richard's life. Together with his concern for others, comes the pride and joy of being part of the running community and a much loved and popular figure in the greater running fraternity.

Richard's passion is to teach young disabled people that it is possible to exercise and join in mainstream events. 

Journalist of the year:

Wesley Botton (a reporter at The Citizen Newspaper)

Top charity donor of the year:

Carel Nolte

2015 winners blazer: 

Gift Kelehe and Caroline Wostmann

The glitzy evening also saw the awarding of the Comrades Marathon Winners Blazers to the proudly South African 2015 winners Gift Kelehe and Caroline Wostmann. 

CMA certificate of appreciation: 

Formscaff, Biddulphs and Adcock-Ingram

CMA life membership award: 

Alen Hattingh and Sifiso Nzuza