Zizi Kodwa names new Boxing SA board with familiar faces to end fiasco

Sport minister Zizi Kodwa on Tuesday named the Boxing SA board, ending a hiatus of five months during which the professional body operated without an executive.

Five of the directors, including chair Sifiso Shongwe, were on the board Kodwa appointed in December but was interdicted in a legal battle with a group of boxing promoters.

Shongwe, Romy Titus, Nandi Mheshe, Sakhiwe Sodo and Luxolo September served for about a day in late 2023 before being sent into the wilderness, while Koketso Tsebe and Luvuyo Precious Bayeni are the new faces on the seven-member executive.

Sodo is the only one who served on the controversial previous board which finished its term in December.

The National Professional Boxing Promoters’ Association (NPBPA) objected to Kodwa’s board, claiming he failed to consult with them as required by the Boxing Act which governs the sport.

Kodwa failed to oppose the motion and the promoters won that round by default.

The sport carried on, with acting CEO Mandla Ntanganiso appointed accounting authority in terms of the Public Finance Management Act to do the duties of the absent board.

There was a feeling this was an overreach of the act and the NPBPA returned to court to challenge this, effectively wanting the sport to be shut down unless they approved a way forward with the minister.

However, this time the court examined the NPBPA’s credentials and the judge ruled they were not a legally constituted body, having failed to follow certain requirements in the act, such as submitting annual statements.

Many licensees had been unhappy by the manner in which the previous board had operated, complaining they broke the terms of the act and favoured certain promoters. They also left the regulator broke. 

This new board is seen as the best way to improve governance and restore credibility to a sport that was once among the country’s most popular codes.