By Monwabisi Jimlongo
There’s a likelihood that South African Boxing Awards nominees from the Eastern Cape might not make it to Durban for the ceremony at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) on Friday.
This came after the Eastern Cape Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC) declined to assist with flight and accommodation expenses as per a request from Boxing South Africa (BSA).
In a letter to acting BSA chief executive officer Erick Nsikayezwe Sithole dated 19 June 2023, DSRAC head of department Sibongile Mpofu said: “The purpose of the communication is to acknowledge receipt of your request as mentioned above to the Eastern Cape Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture. Regrettably, the DSRAC will not be able to assist BSA with expenses associated with the national awards ceremony. We do not have such in our plans as the awards are within your competency and as such it would be an unauthorised and irregular expenditure from the department.”
Mpofu added: “It is further my understanding that as this is part of the projects Boxing South Africa undertakes, year on year, the transport cost and accommodation of nominees would be provided for as part of project costs as the convenor of the awards ceremony and hence we are unable to assist you in this regard. We do, however, trust that this year’s ceremony which is scheduled to be held in Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban will be a huge success.”
Responding to Mpofu, Sithole wrote back saying: “It is the thinnest of BSA’s budget that made us to apply this approach to all provinces and of which most of them are co-operating. My office sent this communication to EC-DSRAC early in May and I’m disturbed as to why are we getting this negative response at the eleventh hour.
“With such delays, Eastern Cape DSRAC might not find flights and accommodation for EC nominees, the weekend of the 30th June is a highly contested weekend due to Durban July, hence why we opted to communicate with you mid-May 2023. Must we then conclude that EC-nominees will not form part of the BSA awards?”
Contact on Monday, Sithole said: “I’m waiting for a response from them because I responded when they said they won’t assist us. We are talking about 26 people that are coming. Already, the KZN Sport Confederation has said that they will accommodate 10 nominees from the Eastern Cape. There are 16 people from the Eastern Cape who will need accommodation.”
