Tenza steps down as BAC chair
“I’m stepping down on a positive note. I’ve decided to look at the other responsibilities that I have; I won’t be able to serve again for the next year as the chairperson of the club."
Just a year after creating Boksburg sporting history by becoming the first black chairperson of the Boksburg Athletics Club (BAC), Benzi Tenza decided not to be part of the running for a second tenure at the club’s top seat.
Tenza, who’s been part of the club for 13 years, made his stance official at the club’s annual general meeting held at the club’s base at the Boksburg City Stadium a fortnight ago.
“There are amateur clubs, most of them from townships that need my services, clubs I want to develop and when I’m a full-time chairperson of the BAC, I don’t think I’ll manage to help those clubs as much as I would want to.
“BAC is well established, it has resources and it doesn’t need me as much as those small clubs – that’s where I’m going with this, I belong to the people.
“There’s a need for development, especially in townships where there’s really a need for intervention and that’s mainly the reason I’ve decided to step down.”
Asked on his journey of being the chairperson of BAC, Tenza explained: “It was quite a good experience for me. I would say I successfully managed to put systems in place that I wanted to, for example, we managed to keep the joining fee of the club at the same price, so we didn’t increase anything
“We managed to get running shoes from our own members and from the community around Boksburg that were then donated to the disadvantaged, not just the disadvantaged BAC members but disadvantaged runners in the area.
“We managed to sponsor some of the athletes who don’t work but wanted to run Comrades or needed to buy running shoes, we managed to put systems in place to take care of that.
“I will always respect the club. I will always support the club, when they need me to support them; I’m available. This is a very good club, like I’ve indicated, it has resources. I would like to see the club helping other clubs,” he emphasised.
Tenza is as involved on the track side of athletics as he is on the administrative side; he boasts 15 Comrades Marathon appearances and is the founder of Team C16, an inclusive running team.
Team C16 welcomes everyone who is interested/involved in running. Their Team C16 page can be found on Facebook.
ALSO READ: Listen: Tenza named BAC new chairman
Athletics coach receives Ekurhuleni Sports Awards nomination
