By Monwabisi Jimlongo
What many fight fans had expected to happen has happened as Boxing South Africa (BSA) suspended its director of operations Mandla Ntlanganiso on Thursday.
Ntlanganiso’s suspension has been long time coming after a number of run-ins with the BSA mandarins over how the fistic sport should be administered.
A plan to kick Ntlanganiso out was set in motion way before the BSA board sent a letter asking him to state why he shouldn’t be suspended.
Contacted for comment, Ntlanganiso said: “Yes, I can confirm that I have been suspended. That’s all I’m prepared to say at the moment.”
Apparently, the blunder committed by BSA’s provincial manager in the Eastern Cape Phakamile Jacobs has now been pinned on Ntlanganiso, who started working as the boxing regulatory body’s director of operations in January last year.
Jacobs’ failure to tally score cards correctly resulted in Melissa Miller being declared a winner during her fight against Sharadene Fortuin in a South African female bantamweight title contest at the East London International Convention Centre (ICC).
It took BSA three days to change the initial outcome of the fight into a draw something which didn’t go down well with many people in the boxing fraternity.
Another charge is the sanctioning of Boxing5 Promotions tournament, which took place in Booysens, Johannesburg, last month. Initially, the tournament was sanctioned only for its sanctioning to be reversed a few days before its actual date.
