Mokganyetsi cherishes more responsibilities

Retired 400m specialist Hendrick Mokganyetsi is having a dream year and he does not want it to end. That is because things keep on getting better on all fronts for the former SA champion.

In March, the 45-year-old was elected as the new Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) president.

He defeated previous AGN boss John Mathane to win a four-year term in office in a tightly contested election. On Saturday, at the Athletics SA elections, Mokganyetsi was elected as ASA's athletes’ commission chairperson.

Mokganyetsi, a sports coordinator at the Correctional Services in Tshwane,  doubles as an athletics coach at the Tshwane University of Technology. The ASA constitution allows an administrator to serve his province and serve on the ASA board.

However, the constitution does not allow an ASA president to serve as a provincial president at the same time. New ASA boss James Moloi, who is the Central Gauteng Athletics president, will step down from his role at CGA. 

“When the year started, I did not think that I would serve in two important positions at the AGN and ASA. I did not see this coming. The people want me to lead and I am happy to serve them. Leadership is a calling for me. I feel that this year is made for me," Mokganyetsi told Sowetan yesterday.

He made it clear that he would not quit any of the four roles that he currently occupies. “I will juggle all my roles. I will have time for everything, including family time. I will not quit my day job or coaching. Coaching is a passion and I am busy coaching at TUT," explained Mokganyetsi.

The three-time Olympic champion is a coach of World Student Games 10,000m champion Milton Kekana. He said he has the advantage of serving in his new role at ASA as he did it before at AGN.

“The provinces saw the excellent job that I did at AGN and voted me to lead the athletes. It is going to be a busy four years for me, but I will succeed because of my open-door policy of engaging the athletes," added the excited Mokganyetsi.