KZN Sports Department confirms death of second Comrades runner
Phakamile ‘Phaks’ Tshiza of Adventist Athletics Club collapsed near Drummond during the race.
KWAZULU-NATAL MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture Amanda Bani-Mapena has confirmed that another athlete died while competing in yesterday’s Comrades Marathon.
“Phakamile ‘Phaks’ Tshiza of Adventist Athletics Club in Gauteng collapsed near Drummond and later died,” confirmed the MEC.
Bani-Mapena said she joins thousands of sports-loving South Africans in paying tribute to both Tshiza and Mzamo Mthembu, who collapsed near Pinetown and died a few hours later.
Related article: Runner dies hours after collapsing on Comrades route
“I have no words. Just when we are celebrating the return of this magnificent race, tragedy also hits. While we all understand the health and physical risks associated with a race of such magnitude, we never anticipated that we would lose the lives of athletes.
“Our heartfelt condolences go to their beloved families, friends, teammates and their clubs. They died doing what they loved most which was running,” said Bani-Mapena.
Bani-Mapena said she understands that there are two other runners in critical condition in hospital and said that she and her department are praying for their speedy recovery.
