Even though he failed to fulfil a promise he made in August last year regarding laying criminal charges against the Boxing South Africa (BSA) board, which was in charge of the fistic sport between December 2020 and November 2023, Minister of Sport Gayton McKenzie has no doubt that South African boxing is in the sick bay.
While addressing parliament’s portfolio committee in August last year, McKenzie promised to lay criminal charges against members of the previous BSA board. This was after it was revealed that the previous BSA board had messed up with the regulator’s finances and left the regulator penniless in December 2023.
“Boxing South Africa were not able to afford shirts while my department alone gave them R18 million and they couldn’t even pay salaries. They borrowed money from us. We had to lend them R2 million, that’s how big the rot is. Boxing is rotten to the core. Boxing is in ICU,” McKenzie said on the sidines of the boxing convention held at the East London International Convention Centre (ICC).
And on his failure to fulfil his promise of taking legal action against the previous BSA board, McKenzie said: “We did make the promise. We were then subsequently told investigations should happen through the board and should not happen through my department.
“Then we set up the board, the board was given money. They didn’t have money before. Now they are gonna go after those people. The portfolio committee has been made aware of that.”
Even though he’s positive about the investigation into BSA’s financial afffairs between December 2020 and November 2023, McKenzie could not reveal the exact amount that’s going to be used to investigate the rot in boxing.
“I can’t say how much is gonna cost. To get a forensic investigation is a big amount. We do investigations in the course of our duties. So, I don’t think it will break the bank,” McKenzie said. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
