Boxing South Africa (BSA) has started a process to discipline Asemahle Wellem, Sihle Jelwana and Lusizo Manzana after they sneaked out of the country to go fight in Tanzania without clearances in December last year.
Acting BSA chief executive officer Tsholofelo Lejaka has revealed that they have asked Wellem, who is the reigning South African super-middleweight champion, Jelwana and Manzana to respond to a number of questions regarding their fights in Tanzania.
The trio left for Tanzania without being cleared by BSA. They travelled together with trainers Phumzile Matyhila, Khangelani Jack and Thembani Gopheni as well as Wellem’s manager Siya Zingelwa.
“There’s a process that Boxing South Africa has started. You will remember, here we are talking about boxers who went out to fight in a foreign country without having obtained prior authorisation from Boxing South Africa. That’s a violation of Boxing South Africa’s rules by our licensees,” Lejaka said.
The BSA boss added: “It is also a disregard by the receiving body, in this case Tanzania. So, there’s multiple things we will do. The boxers that went out of the country they already had first sessions with us because the intention is not to destroy, it’s to educate.
“I insisted that we talk with them so that they understand the transgression. So, now they are sitting wih questions which they have to respond to. We have given them timelines. They must tell us why we must not act. This is where the process is with the boxers.”
Wellem lost to Frank Shagembe Katwila while Manzana was beaten by Ibrahim Mafia whose full name is Ibrahim Mustafa Kodema and Jelwana suffered a defeat against Hussein Amiri Chaubaya popularly known as Kalolo Amiri. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
I have been waiting to hear what BSA would say after these boxers left for Tanzania. Why focus on boxers only, what about their managers and coaches who are also BSA licensees?