ZAKHELE XABA
U LANGAZELELE ukubuyisa ibhande “lasekhaya” uyise wabashayisibhakela bakwaMchunu asebenyakazise iNingizimu Afrika ngekhono abalikhombisa eringini.
U-Alex Mchunu onguyise kaThabiso, ongomunye wabashayisibhakela baseNingizimu Afrika abangundabizekwayo esibhakeleni somhlaba uveze ukuthi usezinhlelweni zokubuyisa emzini wakhe ibhande le-SA cruiserweight elaliphethwe yindodana yakhe eminyakeni edlule. UMchunu ufuna ukulanda leli bhande ngendodana yakhe encane uThabo, oshiye izihlwele zingawuvali umlomo ngesikhathi eqeda ngoMarthias Murton ngomzuliswano wokuqala empini ebiseNkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) ezinyangeni ezedlule. Bekuyimpi yesibili kaThabo esibhakeleni esikhokhelayo nakuba eshaya ngesipiliyoni esigabeni sama-amesha. UThabiso wanqoba ibhande laseNingizimu Afrika empini yakhe yesithathu esibhakeleni esikhokhelayo ngesikhathi ehlula uPatrick Madzinga ngo-2008.
“UThabiso walinqoba ibhande enezimpi ezintathu kuphela. Anginaso isizathu sokumngabaza uThabo ukuthi ngeke akwenze okufanayo. Ngokwami unobuchule obungaphezulu bukaThabiso, ume-hluko ukuthi umfowabo uzimisele kakhulu ejimini,” kusho uMchunu owayengumshayisibhakela ngezikhathi zakhe.
“Uma iBSA (Boxing South Africa) ingavuma ukusinika ithuba ngingajabula kabi. Ibhande le-cruiserweight lizihlalele kuCoetzee (Deon), liswele umuntu ozolithatha. Leli bhande kufanele libuyele ekhaya.”
UCoetzee unqobe lesi sicoco singaphethwe muntu ngo-Okthoba ehlula uBevan Beckman empini ebise-ICC. Bekuyimpi ka-16 kaCoetzee esibhakeleni esikhokhelayo asiqale ngo-2008.
Uyise kaMchunu ubehambele umhlangano obubizwe nguNgqongqoshe wezeMidlalo KwaZulu-Natal, uNtombikayise Sibhidla-Saphetha obuseDocklands Hotel ngesonto eledlule.
Lapha bekuzodingidwa izinhlelo zokuthuthukisa isibhakela esigabeni sama-amesha, ezikoleni nasesigabeni esikhokhelayo eKZN ukuze lesi sifundazwe sibuyele esicongweni sesibhakela eNingizimu Afrika.
USibhidla-Saphetha uthe sekuyi-sikhathi sokuthi isibhakela sisuku-nyelwe, kwakhiwe uhlaka olucacile lokukhulisa abashayisibhakela kusukela phansi baze bafike esigabeni esikhokhelayo.
“Ngiyazi ukuthi kuningi esikhulume ngakho kuBoxing Indaba yesifundazwe nekazwelonke okungakenzeki kodwa kukhona osekubonakele,” kusho uSibhidla-Saphetha .
“Kufanele uma iNingizimu Afrika iyoqhudelana namanye amazwe kuqale kubhekwe eKZN ngoba kuzoba kwaziwa ukuthi inabashayisibhakela abasezingeni eliphezulu,” kusho yena.