The new Boxing South Africa (BSA) board was announced on Tuesday afternoon for a three-year term by Minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture Zizi Kodwa.
The term is set to begin with immediate effect and is expected to run until May 14, 2027.
Sifiso Shongwe, who will serve as the chairperson of the new board, will be in charge.
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of members of the Boxing South Africa board,” Kodwa wrote on social media.
“I have tasked this board with revitalising South African boxing and ensuring that the sport in the country returns to the great heights it once scaled. I wish the new board all the best.
“The time has come for all leadership, managers, trainers, and boxers to put all squabbles aside.
“I urge all the South African boxing fraternity to return to the arenas and boxing and to lift boxing in South Africa,” he added in a statement.
Legitimacy of the board
This comes at the end of a five-month hiatus following a standoff between the National Professional Boxing Promoters Association (NPBPA) and the minister.
The NPBPA interdicted Kodwa over the new BSA board, which he appointed late in 2023.
In the legal battle, the court heard arguments regarding the legitimacy of the new BSA board appointment.
In its court papers, the NPBPA argued that the appointment of the new board by Kodwa in November was unlawful.
It went on to say that the minister’s failure to contact the NPBPA prior to appointing the new board of the BSA was one of the grounds for rejecting its appointment.
The standoff in the court case has led to a wave of tournament cancellations, affecting promoters of all experience levels, including Rodney Berman and Nomvelo Magcaba-Shezi.
The seven-member board consists of familiar names that were initially announced by Kodwa in 2023, with Princess Nongoma and Dr Mary-Gene Manthata-Setati no longer on the list.
The newly appointed board members are:
- Sifiso Shongwe (chairperson);
- Koketso Tsebe;
- Romy Titus;
- Nandi Mheshe;
- Sakhiwe Sodo;
- Luvuyo Precious Bayeni; and
- Luxolo September.
