Johannesburg- Local boxers often struggle to play a meaningful role in the economy once their fighting days are over, but now the Eastern Cape office of the premier Oscar Mabuyane has come to their rescue.
A number of Eastern Cape, Mdantsane-based former and current pugilists have been enlisted on the provincial digital empowerment skills programme.
The boxers’ inclusion in the digital skills programme comes after local community activist Kholiswa Tyiki approached the Eastern Cape Socio Economic Consultative (ECSECC) to consider upskilling the former boxers, and her pleas did not fall on deaf ears.
Tyiki said she had noticed that most of fighters had nothing to fall back on after hanging up their gloves.
“A lot of boxers have no skills to fend for themselves, yet they have contributed greatly to put Mdantsane on the sporting map with their boxing talents. ECSECC has a memorandum of understanding with the office of the premier to roll out digital training to Eastern Cape communities. I then used that opportunity to slot in the boxers.”
Boxers who enrolled are two-time world champion Nkosinathi Joyi, Yanga Petheni, Thembelani Nxoshe, Sakhumzi Magxwalisa and Mpumelelo Mbedle. Tyiki said they aim to take on more boxers and former fighters who are willing to be empowered.
“This is an ongoing programme as the ECSECC and National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa, we have big plans for boxers,” she said.
ECSECC CEO Trevor Rammatiwa said the workshop was an introduction of the participants to the digital platform, and after the workshop, they would choose any course they wanted to pursue in the digital space.
Former IBF and IBO champion Joyi said the workshop had been helpful to get boxers employment after their boxing careers were over.
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