Lesotho runner caught in ASA money squeeze

MASERU – Long-distance athlete Motlokoa Nkhabutlane might have to wait until December to get the M30 000 prize money he won for finishing second in the Nedbank City of Cape Town Marathon last month.
Athletics South Africa (ASA) normally pays athletes soon after races, but it is not clear why winners of the Cape Town marathon might only get their monies three months later. However, the prize money for the Cape Town meet is believed to have been deposited in the association’s account before the September 27 race.
A report in the Citizen, a South African daily, tried to link the delay to the controversy surrounding ASA and its beleaguered leader Leonard Chuene.
The opposition Democratic Alliance party slammed the payment delay, the paper said.
Nkhabutlane, one of the many Basotho athletes who depend entirely on money they earn from South African races, expressed shock at the development.
“No! It cannot happen,” Nkhabutlane told the Lesotho Times this week.
“It does not take that long for the money to be transferred to our accounts.
“It normally takes a month or two before we get our money.”
Lesotho Athletics Amateur Association president Justice Maketela told the Lesotho Times they were not aware of the delay or what could have caused it.
“It has not reached our offices,” Maketela said.
“But we will consult with our ASA colleagues to see if there are problems.”