Boxing South Africa has a new Board that will serve from next month until December 2026. Sifiso Shongwe is the new chairperson, replacing Luthando Jack.
The new board is expected to hit the ground running as there are many disgruntled stakeholders that need to be appeased.
The current term of office of the Board of Boxing South Africa expires on the 11th of December 2023. The new board will then take over the following day.
The development of the sport in the country is facing many challenges. And development is the focus of the Ministry of Sports.
Minister Zizi Kodwa has been preaching development from the grassroots level. He wasted no time, announcing three panels. The eminent person group for sport transformation, an advisory committee for Netball South Africa, and then, the thorny issue these days, that is Boxing South Africa.
Corporate governance and leadership are also some of the key issues that are expected to be of interest to the incoming members.
“There have been challenges. Administratively, the organization has been without a chief executive officer for an extended period since the litigation by the former CEO of BSA. The situation led to one of the board members taking a role as the CEO, which is not a good practice,” says Sports Minister.
Video: Boxing South Africa has a new board
Funding model
Minister Kodwa announces Sifiso Shongwe as the new chairperson of the incoming board. “The new board’s immediate task is to ensure the position of the CEO is advertised and filled as a matter of urgency. I had the privilege to meet with the new chairperson of the board and raised this matter with him,”
The funding model for Boxing South Africa also needs to be revisited.
“It’s not always easy to give people the matches they would want to see. But I think that with potential opportunities coming forward, relooking at the funding model, there may be opportunities. I believe that when the money is right and on the table, you can get multiple promoters to come together and agree to certain fights that the public would want to see,” says the new Chairperson of BSA, Sifiso Shongwe.
Other members of the incoming board of Boxing South Africa are Princess Mangoma, Nande Mheshe, Sakhiwe Sodo, Luxolo September, Romy Titus and Mary-Gene Manthata-Setati. They are expected to have their hands full as people who love the sport want to see it back to its glory back.
“Someone said to me, make sure that we are able to wake up at 3 am to watch and enjoy boxing as we used to do,” Kodwa adds.
It is the duty of the incoming board members to see to it that disgruntled individuals, including boxers and promoters, are attended to and the sport is managed with the interest it deserves.
