By Monwabisi Jimlongo
Members of the Boxing South Africa (BSA) board went ‘cap in hand’ begging parliament’s portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture for more funding just over a week ago.
The BSA board members asked for a top up on the R22,7 million the boxing regulatory body received from government last year. However, they will have to wait a little longer before knowing whether they will get the money or not.
“We are going to have a budget vote on the 9th of May. It will be then that we will see how much Boxing South Africa will be allocated together with other entities that are suppose to get funding. Where they are now they know that as a committee we don’t simply allocate funding,” chairperson of parliament’s portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture Beauty Dlulane said.
Contacted for comment, BSA board spokesperson Azwitamisi Nthangeni admitted that they indeed asked for more government funding.
“Yes, we appeared before parliament’s portfolio committee on sport. We have asked for funding. We cannot talk about funding being approved or not as we are yet to have an audience with the minister,” Nthangeni confirmed.
It is believed that the boxing regulatory body’s coffers have been depleted by rising costs following their consistent failure to win court cases. Chief among the court cases BSA has lost is that of its former chief executive officer Moffat Qithi, who has won whenever he legally sparred with the boxing regulatory body.
BSA has lost against Qithi at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court.
Meanwhile, BSA has not been able to appoint a permanent CEO since Tsholofelo Lejaka’s sudden resignation in August 2020.
Cindy Nkomo was appointed acting CEO until she resigned in December 2021. Now BSA board member Erick Nsikayezwe Sithole has been acting since January last year and the board has extended his mandate until the end of September this year.
