"NGIZOZE ngishone egodini ngingazange ngibukhohlwe ubuqhawe nokuba nentshisekelo yempumelelo okutshengiswe uThe Rose. Ubefana nendodana kimi."
Ngamazwi kaNorman "Hitachi" Hlabane (78), ngesikhathi exoxa nesolezwe Ngempelasonto. Nguyena owafundisa uDingaan "The Rose of Soweto" Thobela, isibhakela wabuye wanqoba naye izicoco zomhlaba.
UThobela (57) owazalelwa eChiawelo, eSoweto, ngoSepthemba 24, ngo-1966, utholakale eseshonile ngoMsombuluko.
Ngokwemibiko utholakale esethule efulethini lakhe, eGoli. Nakuba ingacaci imbangela yokushona kwakhe kepha abebesondelene naye bathi ubeke wabika ukuthi ubanjwe umkhuhlane.
Ushiye emhlabeni indodakazi yakhe uNtombi, nendodana uDingaan Jr oke wadlala kwinkulisa yeHighlands Park.
Ushone esengusomabhizinisi. Amanye awo elokungcwaba, iRose Funeral Service, elokuqhatha izimpi iTLB Boxing Promotions abebambisene kulo nezinkakha ezingoLehlohonolo "Hands of Stone" Ledwaba, noJan Piet Bergman. Ube nezindlu abeqashisa ngazo.
Okuqaphelekayo ngaleli qhawe labaningi kwezesibhakela wukuthi lizuze okuningi ngaphambi kokuthi elakuleli lithole inkululeko ngo-1994.
Ngasekupheleni kweminyaka yama-80s lalibalwa nosaziwayo abebengaconsi phansi. Belaziwa ngokuphila impilo entofontofo. Izimoto belizishintsha kungabi ndabazalutho.
UThobela ubebuye aziwe nangokugqoka izimpahla zikanokusho. Igama elithi Rose of Soweto wethiwa lona ngenxa yokuthi njalo uma ezongena eringini ubenika abantu besifazane izimbali.
Labo abebesondelene naye okukhona kubo, uHlabane, Elias "Mr Fantastic" Tshabalala, Thulani "Sugarboy" Malinga, Mlandeli Tengimfene nabanye, bamchaze njengomuntu obenothando, amahlaya nobenethalente eliyisimanga eringini.
Ngaphansi kukaHlabane, lo mshayisibhakela waqala ngokunqoba isicoco seSA Super Featherweight, ehlula uMpisekhaya Mbaduli ngo-1988, eNew Brighton, eGqeberha.
Waqopha umlando eba ngowokuqala kuleli ukunqoba ibhande le WBO World Lightweight, alithatha eshaya uMauricio Aceves waseMexico, ngo-1990, eTexas e-USA.
Walivikela kabili ngaphambi kokutholana phezulu noTony Lopez wase-USA empini yeWBA Lightweight okusakhulunywa ngayo namanje.
YayiseSacramento, eCalifornia, ngoFebhuwari wango-1993.
ULopez wanqoba ngamaphuzu. Kwasolwa kakhulu amajaji, iningi lalikhala ngokuthi uThobela wayebanjwe inkunzi emini.
Kwaphoqeleka ukuthi kube nempindamshaye eyagcina yenziwe ngoJuni ngonyaka ofanayo, eSun City, eNorth West. Wanqoba ngamaphuzu uThobela.
Nangemuva kwale mpi, kunabathile abathi amajaji enzelela le nsizwa ezalwa nguGodfrey Thobela.
Lesi sicoco yagcina isiphucwe u-Orzubek Nazarov ngo-Okthoba, ngawo u-1993.
Akuphelanga sikhathi esingakanani, uThobela wehlukana noHlabane, wajoyina isitebela sikaTshabalala esasiseCarlton Centre, enkabeni yeGoli.
Kusona wafica izinkunzi okubalwa kuzo uCassius "Mr Shy Guy" Baloyi, Philip "Time Bomb" Ndou, Thulani "Sugarboy" Malinga, Jacob Mofokeng ukusho ezimbalwa.
Ngo-2000, kwaphenduleka imithandazo, uThobela enikwa wuRodney Berman weGolden Gloves impi yebhande le-WBC Super Middleweight.
Empini okwakugcwele phama kuyo, ngoSepthemba wango-2000, eCarnival City, eBrakpan, eGauteng, wagingqa uGlenn Catley wase-England ngomngqimuzo womlalisa phansi.
Kwaqopheka omunye umlando njengoba uThobela waba ngowesibili kuleli ukunqoba lesi sicoco esihlonishwa ukuzedlula zonke.
Wayelandela uSugarboy owayesinqobe ngo-1996, eshaya uNigel Benn wase-UK, eNewcastle, e-England. Nasekhoneni lakhe kwakukhona uTshabalala.
Njengoba isiZulu sisho-ke ukuthi alikho isoka elingenasici nakwiRose of Soweto luke lwabuna udumo lwayo sekuvela izindaba ezingezinhle ngayo.
Eminyakeni edlule lowo ayethandana naye, uBasetsana oseshadele kwaKhumalo, waveza ukuthi uThobela wayemshaya, waze wamkhomba ngesibhamu.
Lo mshayisibhakela waziphika lezi zinsolo encwadini yakhe iRose of Soweto: The Dingaan Thobela Story.
Ubebuye asolwe ngokuba yivila elingathandi ukujima. Bekushiwo lokhu ngoba ehlale eshintsha izisindo ngenxa yokukhuluphala.
Nokho uHlabane, uTshabalala noSugarboy bakuphikile kuleli phephandaba lokhu.
UHlabane uthe ufe olwembiza ngokudlula emhlabeni kukaThobela. Uveze nokuthi uke wahlala isikhathi eside emzini wakhe eseyibhokisa.
"Ngithi lala ngokuthula ndodana. Ube yisibonelo esihle. Ubulwa, ungena lapho kungangenwa khona. Ngifisa sengathi intsha ingenza njengawe, ilwe ize ikuthole ekufunayo," kubeka uHlabane.
Lo mqeqeshi uveze ukuthi akasoze akhohlwa ngendlela azana ngayo noThobela. Uthe yena wayengumngani kayise, namanje basazwana.
"Le ngane yafika kumina ejimini engangiyisebenzisa eNew Canada, uma uphuma eSoweto. Yathi uma icela ukujima ngayibuza ukuthi ineminyaka emingaki. “Ngayixosha uma ingitshela ukuthi inewu-14. Ayizange iphele amandla, yayilokhu ifika nsuku zonke.
“Ngagcina ngigotshwe ukuthi yayisuka kubo igijima ize ifike ejimini. Lapho eThekwini kufana nebanga elisuka eMlaza ubheke edolobheni.
“Kwase kuphele isikhathi ngijimisa kodwa ngangiqala ukubona ithalente elingaka. Okwangimangaza ukuthi wayengakaze abe yibhokisa. Wafika ejimini wanika amabhokisa amaningi inkinga," kubeka uHlabane.
Uqhube wathi ikhono likaThobela lagcina limenze umpetha kazwelonke kuma-amesha.
Uthe kwakumele ayomela elakuleli kuma-Olympic Games. Nokho ubandlululo lwamphuca leli thuba. Usenaso isithombe sakhe engqondweni ekhala. Wadinwa waseqoma ukungena esibhakeleni esikhokhelayo.
Lo mqeqeshi uveze ukuthi kumele uThinus Strydom weWorld Sports Promotions ashayelwe ihlombe ngempumelelo kaThobela.
"Ngaphandle kukaStrydom, uThobela ngabe akaziwa. Ngabe akazange alinqobe ibhande le-WBO nele-WBA. Ngibonga ngiyanconcoza kuye,“ kubonga uHlabane.
Ubonge nabantu abafana nomqhathi uJoe Gumede athi uye owaqale wakholewa kulo mshayisibhakela.
UTshabalala uthe ucishe washayeka phansi ezwa ukuthi uThobela akasekho.
Uveze ukuthi ubegcine ukukhuluma naye ngesonto eledlule. Echaza ngokwenza bathola impi yeWBC, uthe: "Ngemuva kokuthi sishaye uSoon Botes ngoFebhuwari wango-2000, eCarnival City, sathola ucingo lukaBerman esinika le mpi.
“Okuhlekisayo ukuthi wayezitshela ukuthi uGlenn uzonqoba kalula njengoba uDingaan wayekhuluphele. ”UBerman wayengabuzanga elangeni, uDingaan wayekhuluphele ngamasibomu. Sasifuna angene khaxa kwi-super middleweight. Samshaya wanaba uGlenn."
Ukuphikile ukuthi uThobela wayengafuni ukujima. "Ngamanga lawo, uDingaan ubekhuluphaliswa ukuthanda ukudla ipapa, inyama ebomvu, isobho nokuphuza kakhulu iCoca Cola nokumunca oswidi. Nazi izinto ebezimkhuluphalisa. Ubeyithanda ijimu.“
Mayelana namahebezi okuthi wayeshaya uBasetsana, uthe:" Mina ngangingakaze ngimbone enza lokhu. Ngikhumbula ngomunye unyaka ngizwa kuthiwa wenze lokhu.“
Uveze ukuthi isilingo sikamufi bekuwukuthanda izimoto.
"Hheyi ubezithanda izimoto. Njalo emuva kokulwa ubethenga imoto, ushone ingekho angakaze ayigibele. “Ubethanda nokuthenga amapulazi namafulethi. Hamba kahle mngani wami,“ kuqhuba uHlabane.
USugarboy uhleka kuphela uma ekhumbula okwabehlela noThobela beyolwa ePuerto Rico ngo-1989.
"Salethelwa ukudla esingakuqondi ehhotela esasilele kulona. Sabe sesicela intombazane eyayisebenza khona ukuthi isilethele ukudla okungcono.
“Sayitshela ukuthi siphuma e-Afrika. Yasilethela okunye esasingakuqondi. Sasihluleka nokubiza igama lakho.
“Sifay insini sagcina sikubiza nge-pupuplatha. Leli gama sigcine sesibizana ngalo. Ngithi lala ngokuthula mfwethu, sibe nesikhathi esimnandi emhlabeni," kubeka uMalinga