By Monwabisi Jimlongo
It will be foolhardy to expect politicians not to make empty promises should they be given a chance to speak at a departed prominent person’s funeral.
They trip over themselves seeking to be given an opportunity to speak at funerals of prominent people only to lie to us.
I’m saying these things as the family of the late boxing icon Mzimasi ‘Bro Mzi’ Mnguni is preparing to lay him to rest this coming weekend.
Bro Mzi, the man who put South Africa on the world boxing map after leading his boxers to victories both at home and abroad, deserves a very dignified send off.
In my book, the only way to give Jola a dignified send off is for politicians to refrain from seeking to score cheap political points by making empty promises, which they know they will never fulfil.
We have travelled this road before and we were to by politicians.
Let’s jog our memories back to the funeral of the late South African junior-lightweight and lightweight champion Nkosana ‘Happyboy’ Mgxaji in 2011.
Boxing fans would remember hearing former Minister of Sport Fikile Mbalula saying that Mgxaji’s home was going to be turned into a museum. This was, of course, a lie as Mgxaji’s home is not a museum.
By the way, what happened after the 2019 announcement made by Eastern Cape MEC of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Fezeka Nkomonye that Orient Theatre would be renamed to honour Leighandre Jegels, the late former South African female bantamweight champion?
One is hoping against hope that politicians are not going to use Bro Mzi’s funeral and lie to boxing fans.
