MESULI ZIFO
The protest by Buffalo City Metro (BCM) and Sarah Baartman amateur boxing teams against the validity of the provincial cadet championships has received a boost after the national event was postponed to December.
The national championships were scheduled to be held in Kimberley in October as a culmination of provincial events, including the Eastern Cape, which held its own in KwaBhaca a fortnight ago.
However, the games were shrouded in controversy when a slew of boxers were denied participation due to unverified medical tests, many of which were captured on cellphones and not presented in hard copy as required.
A litany of other organisational flaws was also flagged, including the absence of a doctor to verify the tests, with unqualified individuals handling the medical verifications.
This led to BCM and Sarah Baartman teams staging a walkout on the day of the finals when the majority of their boxers, who had already progressed to the last stage, were disqualified.
In a subsequent review meeting, the two teams resolved to request the postponement of the national championships, exclude the provincial team or rerun the provincial championships.
Though South African National Boxing Organisation (Sanabo) vice-president Lwandiso Khwababana said the postponement was not related to the calamities in KwaBhaca, he confirmed the body had received complaints from the two regions.
“The local organising committee met to assess progress in preparations for the upcoming championships and determine the best way forward,” Sanabo correspondence read.
“Following a thorough review, the meeting resolved that cadets and junior championships are not ready to be held and consequently it was resolved that the championships will be postponed to December, with the exact dates to be confirmed in due course.”
Khwababana could not say if the postponement would help Sanabo to resolve the KwaBhaca impasse.
He said the decision to postpone the championships was due to financial hiccups, with the upcoming local government elections also playing a role.
While the Eastern Cape is yet to resolve its standing regarding the final team, BCM and the Sarah Baartman Amateur Boxing Organisation (Sababo) are determined to fight to the bitter end to have their boxers included in the provincial team.
The two regions are renowned for their dominance of the provincial teams in all the categories of the national championships.
Sababo representative Malibongwe Tokwe said the regions would not take the matter lying down until they had exhausted all avenues.
“Plenty of wrongs were done in KwaBhaca, and it would be a travesty of justice for young boxers if the complaints we raised were not fully attended to,” he said.
Khwababana implored provinces which had already selected their teams to proactively reschedule preparations for December.
Daily Dispatch