By Abongile Gaya and Mihlali Somdaka
The Dassie Dash is a fun, team-based run in Makhanda as part of the GBS Mutual Bank Mountain Drive Half Marathon. This run typically involves 2.4 km laps around the Graeme College Campus, and this year’s event will take place on 22 August 2025.
The Dassie Dash is to help raise funds for the Mountain Drive Road repair and benefit those in need through initiatives such as Meals for Miles. Fun rivalry arises when businesses challenge each other to participate in the race. Major Frasers, one of those companies, challenged Pam Goldings to join the relay. To add to the fun, the Department of Zoology at Rhodes University also took on the challenge of participating in the relay. Also, it challenged other departments to join in the fun.
“Supporting a good cause is the main goal”, says Mongezi Plank, one of the organisers and a runner from the Major Frasers team, when asked about Major Fraser’s motivation for joining the Dassie Dash. As much as this is a competition, the businesses see it as an opportunity for team building. “Remember it’s a relay, you are relying on the next person to do their best so that your team can win”, says Plank.
The businesses also see it as a chance to network with other companies.
In preparation for the relay, Kim Weaver from the Department of Zoology mentioned that they had prepared outfits to wear, as there would be a prize for being best dressed. Weaver mentions that one of the hosts of the Dassie Dash, the Rotary Club of Grahamstown Sunset, donates money to good causes such as a sewing club in town through uplifting the community and joining the Dassie Dash is the Department of Zoology’s way of taking part in this initiative.
As the Dassie Dash draws nearer, participants agree that the spirit of the race goes beyond competition but rather is about community, laughter, and shared purpose.
“Let’s come together, let’s have fun, let’s work towards the same goal”, says Plank.
