​Our own Gauteng Department of Social Development colleague, Thabo Machethe competed in the world’s renowned longest and largest ultra marathon last month.
Machethe is a Human Resources Supervisor in the Johannesburg Metro Region who began working as an intern in 2012. He then applied for a permanent post as an Administration Clerk, a position he held from May 2014 to October 2019. In November 2019 he was promoted to his current post.

Machete’s passion for running started after he left soccer at university and adapted to a jogging lifestyle to maintain a clean bill of health. Jogging then progressed to his first 10km Spring Race in 2017, a program in Limpopo designed to raise funds for dignity packs for those in need. Subsequently, this was followed by a 21km half marathon in Diepkloof, in the same year. In 2019, he then ran the 42km Soweto marathon, which essentially built the momentum for the Comrades Marathon.

In remembrance of the fallen heroes in the freedom struggle, the Comrade Marathon is one of the most inclusive, world-class sporting events in South Africa. The Father of the Comrades, World War I veteran Vic Clapham, first hosted the marathon in 1921 as an annual memorial to the South African soldiers that died in the war. Since then, the Comrades Marathon has been held every year between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg, except during World War II and the COVID-19 hard lockdown period.

“As the lockdown restrictions eased in 2020, I began training for the ultimate human race with my two running mates, which mandated a 42km run in March 2022 as a prerequisite to qualify for the 90km within 12 hours Comrades Marathon on the 28th of August 2022,” explains Machethe.

To cultivate his endurance, he adds that he then ran a 9-hour long 70km run and another 60km in July, just 15 days apart.

Today, the Joburg Metro Region HR Supervisor proudly holds the finishers' medal called the Vic Clapham Medal for running the Comrades ultramarathon and expressed his gratitude for the support he got from his family and the colleagues from the department. "I am looking forward to running more marathons and participating in races that aim to help the lives of the underprivileged," said Machethe.

As GDSD family we proud of Machethe, and encourage more staff to consider partaking in this world-renowned race.