Limpopo boxing cries out for help

Muvhuso "Hands of Thunder" Nedzanani

It was  a pleasure last week to see the determination with which Jeffrey “Mongoose” Mathebula approached his world title challenge against Takalani Ndlovu. Though he won by a split decision it was still enough to see him eventually win a credible world crown – the IBF junior-featherweight belt.

While Soweto-born Ndlovu enjoyed better pickings in the past decade, thanks to his dedication and disciplined approach to the game, the more talented Mathebula drifted from one disappointment to another with a largely lateral progress in his career. In a nutshell, Mathebula has himself to blame for delayed rewards, all for his misplaced overconfidence and gimmickry.

I still cannot come over the ridicule he made of boxing seven years ago in Phokeng, Rustenburg, when he and his Malamulele homeboy Oscar Chauke chatted, laughed and hugged each other through their scheduled six-rounder. Mathebula won the sham of a fight on points and, even more scandalous, the boxing authorities did not institute disciplinary action against the two boxers.

That was seven years ago and many boxers who had not turned professional by that time have since gone on to become world champions. That should speak volumes about how long Mongoose wandered in the wilderness before he could be a world champ. It is ironic that he earned the right to challenge Ndlovu by beating Chauke again in the official eliminator. I missed that bout last June, so I don’t know if the match reflected any change of attitude from the fuss of 15 April 2005 in the North West province.

Personally I hope Mathebula’s victory will restore the prestige of Limpopo boxing, which enjoyed rich pickings in the last decade. Boxers from Thohoyandou, Malamulele and Phalaborwa dominated most  boxing divisions.  One of these was Muvhuso "Fists of Thunder" Nedzanani, who in 2005 reached the climax of his career defending the SA junior-flyweight four times – two KOs and two unanimous decisions – against credible challengers such as Sizwe Sinyabi, Mfundo Gwayana and Vuyani Kheswa.

The four fights where thrillers and underscored Nedzanani's growing stature in local boxing. The downside however was that Boxing SA gave the boxer of the year award for 2005 to Isaac Hlatshwayo, who too was a worthy contender from Limpopo.  Nedzanani fought well for another four years, but getting by by winning peripheral championships, including the WBF “world title”.

But after stopping Ramadhan Mkufi in the third of their scheduled 12 round fight for WBO Africa title, the bookish Nedzanani drifted away from the sport and kept himself busy in the academia. I missed him, especially his warm personality and pragmatism. So you would understand my excitement about his comeback, tomorrow against Zolani Tete.  The fight takes place at the Orient Theatre, a popular boxing venue where in 2005 Nedzanani dominated Sizwe Sinyabi, who held on for dear life for 12 rounds.

Like his opponent, Tete is also a former WBF title holder, at flyweight level. He fought twice last year, winning once and losing his last fight under controversial circumstances in Mexico, in November. Though it’s a non-title bout, the match-up has the potential to upstage the main drawcard in which Nkosinathi Joyi will be defending his IBF strawweight title against Japanese Katsunari Takayama.

While Mathebula has finally come good, and Nedzanani stepping out of semi-retirement, the jury is out on the future of other former champions from Limpopo. There’s talk about Phillip Ndou meeting Cassius Baloyi soon. Many fans will have mixed feelings about this fight by two excellent products of Baloyi’s father’s (Eric Baloyi) academy in Malamulele. The two veterans have served the sport with distinction for many years but their recent fights point to the exit.  While Baloyi lost two of his last three fights, Ndou’s last two victories were simply forgettable – against Welcome Ntshingila, who had lost all five matches before meeting Ndou, and Zimbabwean Bhekimpilo Mlilo, who is not known for having won anything of significance in the ring.

Baloyi and Ndou are 37 and 35 respectively. If the money is right for their muted match-up, why not? A man must eat at the end of the day. Moreover, the two are left with few years to build comfortable nests for retirement.  

Former national junior-flyweight champion Phathutshedzo Nemukongwe had his career cut shot in a bizarre fashion. After sensationally stopping Mbulelo Nyanda in the first round to capture the national crown in 2002, Nemukongwe dislocated his shoulders twice during fights. The first time was when he was far ahead on points against challenger Ayanda Ramncwana in 2003. He dislocated a shoulder again two years later, and took a break. When Nemukongwe returned to the ring again in 2009, it was clear he was not the same boxer anymore. He retired a year later after he was stopped in the last round of a four-rounder by Mluleki Fukile at the Wembley Arena in Johannesburg.

Other active recent champions from Limpopo include Tzaneen-born Osborne "Big Daddy" Machimana (heavyweight), Polokwane's Peter "Loverboy" Mashamaite (super-middleweight), Oscar "Golden Boy" Chauke (junior-feather) and Phalaborwa-born Jasper Seroka (junior-light). Other flag-bearers are SA junior-lightweight champion  Godfrey "The Punisher" Nzimande, ironically same title as his Phalaborwa homeboy Seroka; newly crowned lightweight champ Thompson Mokwana and the enigmatic Tshifhiwa “Atomic Spider” Munyai, Phillip Ndou’s Makwarela homeboy.

Munyai’s enigma is that he has been in the pro ranks since 2003, and fought for and won several international titles over the bantam division but he has not fought for the national title. In January Boxing SA accused him of having no interest in the SA title and threatened to pull him off the ratings, despite the Spider being the most talented local in this division.

I cannot mention everybody here but one thing is clear that the contribution of Limpopo’s talent in local boxing is not adequately appreciated. I am not aware of any projects by BSA in any of the centres which produce some of these boxers, either Phalaborwa or Makwarela or Malamulele. In the same breath, Cassius Baloyi’s fathers academy is in limbo now that the old man can no longer afford to fund it. He needs help, but those with influence and money are looking away, and yet we desire Olympic champions.

Eric Baloyi, the late promoter Harry Nengwekhulu, and other lesser known individuals, did their best for the sport of boxing in Limpopo. Something needs to be done to revive and carry the momentum forward, which must include the staging of tournaments in different Limpopo towns on a regular basis.

Where are the money people? Where is the government support? 

Lift the gloom, support Leopards

Inspirational. . . Black Leopards captain Mongezi Bobe.
It’s cup weekend in the PSL, with eight Nedbank Cup matches taking place across the country. In my opinion however the most important match on the weekend is the CAF fixture between Black Leopards and FC Saint-Eloi Lupopo from DR Congo. But as is the norm, the South African soccer public – and media – will act like contests in the domestic competition are more crucial than the international fixture to be hosted in Giyani tomorrow.

Already, judging by the few discussions from people around me, radio sports bulletins and newspaper coverage of the weekend ahead are already treating the Leopards game in the Confederation Cup as an afterthought.

That’s where SA football falters, with its stubbornly inward-looking attitude. We are desperate to have our league affirmed to be among the best in the world and yet we do not care about CAF competitions. If we really want to be among the best then our hearts and minds should be in Giyani this weekend. And those who can travel to the venue, especially the neighbouring towns in Limpopo, should go and make some big noise on behalf of SA football.

Leopards are the only SA team remaining in CAF competition this season, and their involvement should not be reduced to club interest as SA’s reputation is at stake here. Giyani stadium must overflow, to make a bold statement that we are big on this game; that no visitors will come here and do as they please and that Leopards’ victory is SA’s victory.

We have had several embarrassing moments in the past, when visiting teams easily outnumbered PSL clubs in support. You can imagine their glee, as they taunt our exaggerated sense of importance. Well, as we have seen with the mighty fall of Orlando Pirates in the Champions League, we still have a lot to learn about international football, and a long road to travel through Africa to achieve that.

After Pirates were eliminated in the preliminary round by little known Angolan side CRD Libolo, it was clear SA football don’t know how to play at this level, despite the resources we enjoy. To add salt to injury, Pirates tripped in the preliminary round, which means they still needed to go past Libolo in order to join big name clubs in the first round.

That we have to start with other underachievers in the preliminary round is on its own an indictment on SA football. Initially our top two teams in the league would qualify for the Champions League, and go straight to first round and wait for strugglers to come through the preliminary round. The 4-2 aggregate defeat by Pirates can be interpreted to also mean that we are even too weak for the prelim.

So, one more time, let’s shake off our misplaced pride and focus on important things to improve our standing in Africa. Lupopo are here, and their other claim to fame is that they are cross town rivals of TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi city. In the last three years Mazembe qualified twice for the Fifa Club World cup, by virtue of winning the Champions League. Apart from rooting for Leopards to win, tomorrow we must also continue to learn why certain things are just not right about our football.

This lesson was taken to new heights when Libolo beat Pirates 3-1 in Port Elizabeth a month ago. Sadly, not many acknowledged the superiority of Libolo in the application of both basic technique and strategy. This should explain why we have virtually become a non-factor in Africa. Even if we may not all be in Giyani tomorrow, the least we can do is to pledge support for Leopards and wish them well, for SA’s sake.

Cross country event accentuates SA's weakness

The beginning. . . cross country running is the cornerstone of athletics careers for Kenyan runners.


Last week my spirits were very low due to unpleasant personal circumstances, which included lack of opportunity to travel to the African Cross Country Championships in Cape Town. The championships took place on Sunday, and my interest in the event was to gauge South Africa’s current standing in terms of international competition in athletics.

Cross country running is the cornerstone of Kenya’s dominance in middle distance running. Even its athletes for the much shorter 800m track event must first show their mettle in cross country. Apart from providing the kind of terrain most African athletes are naturally familiar with – grassy and uneven fields, hills, rocky and muddy patches here and there – cross country running instills a winning culture without the benefit of fancy resources. (In many cases runners compete barefooted.)

During isolation and the few years after admittance to international sport, South African athletics also relied in cross country to produce new talent with potential to be world contenders. The local cross country schedule attracted a horde of hungry athletes those days, many of whom entering for fun only to find out along the way that they had real talent for athletics.

I saw Hendrick Ramaala for the first time during such events. He admits he knew nothing about his running talent until he participated in cross country events, for fun. It is stuff of fairy tales now that Ramaala is heading for his fifth Olympic Games this year – a milestone of legendary proportions. By then he was already in university, after arriving in Johannesburg from – ironically –  the countryside in Limpopo province.

Another SA legend Elana Meyer cites her 6^th finish at the 1996 world cross country championships as one of career highlights. But 10 years earlier, Zola Budd had won the world crown in cross country in 1985 and 1986. Budd was running for the UK at the time, after that country offered her a passport.

Before Meyer and Ramaala during his formative years in athletics, there were many household names who first pounded the earth in cross country. The juniors I saw coming through the ranks over a decade ago, included the likes of John Morapedi, George Mofokeng, Jeffery Gwebu, Rene Kalmer, Azwinndini Lukhwareni,  Richard Mavuso, Dimakatso Morobi, Sarah-Jane Khumalo, Norman Dlomo just to name a few. Most went on to have successful senior careers in track and road running before disappearing from the radar, while Kalmer’s star continues shines brightest.

I don’t know  what happened to Mofokeng but his friend Gwebu made a dramatic return at the Soweto Marathon last year, taking second place in the 10km run. Also back in contention, after a doping ban, is Lukhwareni, who finished a credible third in the SA marathon championship in George early February.

My point in recalling the names above is to drive home the point that SA athletics needs a healthy cross cross environment to revive its dwindled fortunes. This is the point Ramaala has been punting over the years, as have other development experts. Mpho Mabuza, the best senior South African woman home in the  African champs in Cape Town, added a chilly dimension in the same lines. After finishing way back 17^th, an exasperated Mabuza said: “We do not go on camps and train together for long periods as teams.

“That’s what Kenya is doing and the results are there to see. We are far too individual, whereas they know each other very well.”

For the record, Kenya won three of the four categories at the cross country championships, losing only the men’s junior title to Ethiopia. This was in spite of the Kenyans Japhet Korir (defending champ) and Justine Cheruiyot  crossing the line together with Muktar Awel of Ethiopia. But the officials gave it to the Ethiopian, with Korir taking silver.

In the same category, the first South African home, Tumisang Monnatlala, was far back at No. 25. The picture for the host nation was similarly gloomy in the junior women as the five SA entrants Luleka Dyonki,  Sylvia Tshetlanyane and Thandi Sithole finishing 22^nd, 23^rd  and 24th respectively, while Thandeka Manzana 26^th  and the Van Graan sisters Aynslee and Kyla finished 28th and 31st to close an account of low returns for South Africa.

The best performing SA overall was senior men’s Lungisa Mdadelwa who finished the 12km run at No. 12, in 37:29. The winner was Kenyan Clement Langat (35:43). Kenya also won all team categories, and their closest competitors wre fellow east Africans Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Kenyan had only sent one defending champion from last year, Korir for the 8km junior men race. The champions for the other categories have most probably moved on to other things, to make space for a new round of fresh talent. We are going to have to work hard to match that. In the mean time the powers that be must move mountains to make cross country running a mass participation sport again in South Africa.

At first class level, a lot can still be done between now and September 15 when the SA championships will be held in Durban. God-willing, I should be there to assess the state of affairs.
 Without a competitive cross country circuit, it will be a miracle if we produced track and road running talent of world standards again.

Town owes its new champ a huge applause

Unsung hero. . . Kaizer Mabuza is a new boxing world champion but his hometown is oblivious to his feat.  

Not every town can boast a world champion in any sport or activity. If such an occasion happens it must be welcomed with celebration and recognition by the winner’s townsfolk. Would you believe it, South Africa has a new sheep shearing world champion! And by that I am certainly not putting you out for woolgathering.

His name is Mayenzeke Shweni, and was crowned world champion in the blade shearer category on Saturday, at the World Shearing Championships held in Masterton, New Zealand. Shweni is from the farming town of Sterkspruit, in northern Eastern Cape, near the Lesotho border. And because of the vast distance between me and that area surrounded by Drakensberg mountains, I honestly would not know if the people of Sterkspruit – or the Ukhahlamba district municipality – are planning a welcome ceremony for their new champion of the world.

In case you thought I am pulling wool over your eyes, sheep-shearing is a widely recognized sport and in South Africa the Sheep Shearing Federation is properly affiliated with the Olympic sport controlling body, the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).

So hats off to Shweni for beating the best blade shearers in the world to be crowned their king, in New Zealand to boot. The sweetener is that the silver medal was taken by another South African, Zweliwile Hans, who is a former three-time world champion. This calls for double celebration, whichever way you look at it.

Closer to home, and by that I mean my home town of Tembisa in Gauteng province, we also have a new world champion in Kaizer Mabuza. The “Hammer” as the boxing champion is also fearsomely known, finally became a world champion in his third attempt. On the same day Mayenzeke Shweni was cutting them to size in NZ, Mabuza stopped Australian Steven Willis to be crowned the new IBO junior-welterweight champion.

It was not a decent fight as Willis was docked a point as early as the first round for head-butting. Also in the opening round, Mabuza decked Willis and there were fears that the fight could have been a mismatch. Despite looking clumsy, the Australian was undefeated before he fell under the Hammer until the referee finally put an end to the assault in the sixth round.

Pretty or not, Mabuza, my homeboy, is the world champ finally and that’s what counts. Even more significant about the victory is that it happened at the Emperors casino in Kempton Park, Tembisa’s twin city. The major disappointment about Mabuza’s victory is that Tembisa is not abuzz about his achievement. In fact it's like the people do not know that they have a momentous occasion like this one to celebrate. The fight was on satellite TV, but on the channel many people do not have access to as they are clients of DStv’s limited package option.

The fight was not on the radio either. But that too is no excuse because it happened on our doorstep and the widely read local newspaper carried the preview a week earlier. Even Mabuza tried his best to hype up the fight, by arriving at the pre-medical conference at the Emperors carrying a heavy hammer.

Detractors say the IBO belt is not credible, but the organization is an official sanctioning body for world championships. Perhaps the haters would want to get into the ring and put the weight of their argument to a good test.

But more than the critics, it is the Tembisa folks who owe Mabuza more than anyone else. If a champion is not recognized in his own territory, where else would he be admired?