By Monwabisi Jimlongo
While boxers who fought in her tournament received their purses last week, Zantsi’s Showtime Productions boss Mbali Zantsi is unhappy because Boxing South Africa (BSA) is yet to release money to her.
The Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC) in the Eastern Cape funded Zantsi’s Showtime Productions tournament last month and paid the sponsorship money to BSA’s account. However, after paying boxers and ring officials, BSA has so far failed to release the remainder of the sponsorship money to Zantsi.
“The Eastern Cape government has released money to BSA, who in turn paid boxers and officials. However, none of the service providers have been paid because to BSA boxing is about boxers and officials. To them paying boxers and officials means that everything about a tournament has been covered,” Zantsi said.
Zantsi, who is a member of the Nelson Mandela Bay Boxing Promoters Association, will have to wait until the end of this month before BSA releases the money to her.
“I only received a WhatsApp message telling me that BSA will only release the money to me at the end of the month. These people don’t care about the service providers,” Zantsi remarked.
“You pay in advance when you book flights and accommodation, they know that. You pay all these things knowing very well that there’s money coming after the tournament. Now the money will only come after a month.”
With BSA having failed to release the money to her, Zantsi is now left owing people who provided catering services, sound as well as ringside doctors.
“The money is there, but they are using it for other problems. These people seem not to know that boxing promotion is an event and many people are involved. The people that we still owe are waiting to be paid. I’m talking about caterers, sound people and doctors. All these people are females because I was instructed to only get female service providers,” Zantsi said.
Contacted for comment, acting BSA chief executive officer Erick Nsikayezwe Sithole said: “There are processes which we have to follow before we pay the money. We have to go through certain documentation then review before making payments. And we have communicated that with her.”
