By Adnaan Mohamed
Cacisile Sosibo is no longer knocking politely on the door of South African road running. She is kicking it open, one kilometre at a time.
The 28-year-old Boxer Athletics Club speedster heads into Sunday’s Absa RUN YOUR CITY TSHWANE 10K with her eyes firmly fixed on a top-five finish, carrying the kind of confidence that can make even Pretoria’s notorious hills look like speed bumps.
Sosibo has enjoyed a sizzling 2026 campaign, lowering her 10km personal best to 32:16 at the SPAR Women’s Grand Prix Durban leg in June and dipping under 32:45 three times this season.
Then came Durban.
She clocked 32:36 to finish sixth in a quality international field at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K, a performance that gave her belief and plenty of bite.
“Durban was amazing for me this year. I ran a PB at SPAR and got a top-six finish at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K, which gave me a big confidence boost,” said the KwaZulu-Natal-born runner, now based in Soweto.
Her legs have been talking loudly ever since.
On Sunday, she ran 34:01 for third at the Totalsports Women’s Race Joburg, less than 24 hours after winning the senior women’s 10km title at the Central Gauteng Cross Country Championships.
That is some serious mileage in the bank.
Sosibo knows what it feels like to mix it with the best. At the 2023 World Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia, she finished 10th in the half marathon in a personal best 1:09:31.
Now, under the watchful eye of legendary coach Michael ‘Sponge’ Seme, who has also guided four-time Olympian Stephen Mokoka, she believes the old magic is returning.
“Things have been going well for me this year. I feel like the Cacisile who was competing back in 2023. I’m coming back slowly but surely.”
Tshwane, however, is ready to collect its toll.
The hilly, high-altitude route can chew up ambitious runners like a hungry school of piranhas. Sosibo knows a personal best may be asking for too much.
“Tshwane is a tougher course with hills at altitude, so I’m not expecting a PB. My target is to race smart and run with the lead pack for as long as possible.”
Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports, believes her Durban performance has changed the conversation.
“Cacisile’s 2026 season has been hugely encouraging, and her sixth-place finish in Durban showed that she can compete with a strong international field,” Meyer said. “We’re looking forward to seeing her build on that performance in Tshwane.”
The race is sold out, with the gun going at 08:00 from Stanza Bopape Street in Arcadia.
For Sosibo, the mission is clear: climb with courage, conserve the fuel and unleash the finishing kick when the road finally points home.
Her comeback may be labelled “slowly but surely”.
On Sunday, she will be hoping it looks anything but slow.