By McGeorge Mbare
THE Seventh Day Adventist Church member, Emmanuel Mandeya successfully completed a 160 kilometers charity run from Rutenga to Beitbridge on Sunday, July 26, 2026, to raise funds for the Beitbridge East SDA Church roofing project.
The church is located in Matibe, which was once known as Eastlea in Beitbridge town.
Mandeya set off at midnight in Rutenga on Sunday, 26 July 2026 and reached Beitbridge at sunset on the same day, running under the theme running with a purpose.
In an interview with Ziyah News Network, Mandeya said he was motivated by the church’s need to complete the roofing project.
“I saw a cause and believed in my ability to run and help my church raise funds for the project,” he said.
Mandeya is an experienced long distance athlete who also participated in the Comrades Marathon in Durban, South Africa, in both 2025 and 2026.
“I came into this challenge both mentally and physically prepared to run 160 kilometres for a worthy cause. My experience made it easy for me to endure ,” he said.
A member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church’s building committee, Mrs. Nomsa Ndou, expressed appreciation for the overwhelming support shown to the fundraising initiative.
“We are very grateful and I believe this charity run will take us a long way. We were targeting to raise more than USD 12,000 but I think we will exceed that amount as church members continue to contribute,” Ndou said.
Ndou said that while the church was still verifying the total amount raised, members remain optimistic that the fundraising target has been achieved.
The SDA Church launched the initiative to raise funds needed to complete the construction of its church building, with the roofing project being one of the final important phases.