▪️Vuyolwethu has reassured her fans that this is not a permanent retirement but a strategic pause to rebuild her life outside the ring
April 25, 2026
South African international boxing sensation Dila Vuyolwethu aka Skolo is trading her gloves for textbooks, announcing a temporary hiatus from boxing in 2026 to finalize her studies at the University of Cape Town (UCT).
A bronze medallist at the 2024 Africa Elite Championships, Vuyolwethu, who has previously spoken openly about overcoming a severe three-year battle with drug addiction, has made the conscious decision to pause her boxing career to prioritize education.
This academic powerhouse is set to graduate in May, 2026 with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology, a milestone she describes as crucial to her life’s purpose outside the ring.
“Boxing taught me how to fight, but education is teaching me how to live,” Vuyolwethu told boxersworld.co.ke following the announcement of sidestepping the ring.
Having represented South Africa in various international tournaments from 2018, Vuyolwethu has reassured fans that this is not a permanent retirement, but a strategic pause to rebuild her life and career structure.
She has confirmed her commitment to return to the squared circle in 2027, stronger and with a degree in hand. She will however move to the paid ranks.
“I have several responsibilities, that’s why I want to make some money in pro boxing,” she said but remained non-committal on whether she will rejoin the national team.
Vuyolwethu’s planned break marks a new chapter in a story of remarkable resilience, focusing on long-term sustainability rather than short-term success.
“Right now I am at the university of Cape Town furthering my education,” she told me, adding: “I will be graduating in the first week of May with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology, so I’m unable to attend boxing gym as this degree course is so demanding. I spend most of my time at school from 7am to 4pm in the afternoon come back very tired and still have to plan for the following day. I have decided to take a step back from boxing for now and focus on my studies. People can expect my return to competitions in 2027 but as a professional boxer.
“My last competition was the Provincial Championships in 2025 in which I won a gold medal and crowned the best boxer. I could not go to nationals because I was busy in school.
“I also took part in the University Games but I was fighting in the bantamweight class in December, 2025 without having trained because I was busy with my final year examinations.”
In a previous interview with boxersworld.co.ke, Vuyolwethu said the 2024 season was her most successful ever, winning medals in all tournaments she participated and put the icing on the cake with her first ever medal in the African Men’s and Women’s Boxing Championships held in DR Congo’s capital city, Kinshasa.
The charming and affable South African star boxer has made tremendous progression ever since she made her international debut in the Africa Youth Men’s and Women’s Championships in Casablanca, Morocco in 2018 winning a bronze medal in the flyweight division. She lost 5-0 in the semi-finals to Algeria’s Yasmine Khither.
“I was still new in the international stage, some sceptics expected me to fold back but I was confident, I just lacked experience,” Vuyolwethu told boxersworld.co.ke on her impressive show in Morocco.
“I was so excited winning a medal in my debut for my country.”
After the Africa Youth Championships in Morocco, Vuyolwethu, then 18 years old, maintained her consistency, winning flyweight gold in the Mandela Centenary youth tournament featuring Swaziland and Lesotho in Eastern Cape. Her brilliant performance also earned her the best boxer award in the female category.
Vuyolwethu’s ascendancy in 2018 continued unabated, winning her second gold medal in Region Five Games in Botswana.
She graduated to the national senior team in 2019 but a shoulder injury temporarily scuttled her relentless march to the top.
Her morale was further dampened in 2020 following the death of her beloved grandmother Ann Rose Dila.
“The death of my grand mum killed me emotionally” recalls Vuyolwethu but through her unwavering determination and resilience, she bounced back with a bang in 2021 during which she won the national title and was unbeaten in the national team selections emerging the top light-flyweight.
The steady march to glory was now unstoppable. At the inaugural International University World Cup Combat Games in Turkey she bagged a bronze medal and a silver in the Zone 4 Championships in Maputo in 2022.
Two unsuccessful attempts in the African Men’s and Women’s Championships in 2022 and 2023 toughened Vuyolwethu’s resolve to do better, culminating in her first medal – a bronze – in the premier African boxing event held in Kinshasa, DR Congo in 2024.
“I can say that’s my most memorable achievement because I didn’t win any medal in the African Championships in 2022 and 2023. Standing in the podium in Kinshasa meant a lot to me.”
Vuyolwethu was defeated 4-1 in the minimumweight semi-finals by Morocco’s debutant El Harouad Hafsa but she was not convinced.
“They robbed me I won the fight, the Moroccan did nothing in the ring,” said Vuyolwethu who also won a silver medal in the inaugural Mandela African Boxing Cup in Durban.
