SPORTS MINISTER GAYTON MCKENZIE UNVEILS NEW BOXING SA BOARD
SA professional boxing champ and full-time teacher Razell Mohamed in one of the nation’s many women boxers eager to see improvements in the nature of their participation in the sport. The new Boxing South Africa Board has been announced by Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie, to bring some success to the sport after years of instability at the federation.
The new Board of Boxing South Africa has been announced by Sport, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie to bring some success to the sport after years of instability at the federation.
BSA has been without a Board since September last year, when McKenzie dissolved it. In the months following, the Department started the shortlisting process for the nominated candidates by conducting a period of public consultation with various stakeholders, including boxing promoters, as required by legislation, and the public consultation process allowed the public to object to any short-listed individual.
After this process, the panel interviewed short-listed candidates and provided a final list of recommended candidates, from which the Minister appointed seven individuals.
The new Board will see Ayanda Khumalo as the new Chairperson as well as Mthokozisi Radebe, Sydney James, Rina Jude, Saudah Hamid, Siyakhula Simelane and Vincent Blennies take up their positions.
“Boxing was one of the saving graces of the sport during apartheid, and we cannot allow this sport with so much history and heritage to wither on the vine”, said McKenzie. The minister noted the appointment of this Board, “as a moment of great pride for me and Deputy Minister Peace Mabe, and is another step forward for the Government of National Unity under President Cyril Ramaphosa.”
Someone who had a keen interest in the new appointments is a top boxing promoter and manager of South Africa’s leading female boxers, Colleen McAusland. She says they will officially be meeting the new Board on Tuesday, 7 January 2024 via an online meeting, but for now, she is pleased with who has been chosen.
“We are happy with who has been appointed to the Board of Boxing South Africa by Minister Gayton McKenzie. We are hopeful that it’s going to take boxing to where it used to be. As licensees we are hoping for the best, we have really been through a lot of ups and downs with the previous boards. So we are hoping that this one is going to be a good one.”
McAusland says they will continue fighting for gender parity in the sport in 2025 and hopes the women on the Board can assist them with getting the equality the female boxers deserve.
“We are hoping that Ayanda can make sure that our female boxers can get paid the same as their male counterparts,” said McAusland. “That they get the same opportunities, and that they get recognised the same as the men do in our sport.”
Courtesy: gsport4girls
