Gauteng province promises to honour Rose of Soweto posthumously

The Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Morakane Mosupyoe, has promised to honour the legacy of world-acclaimed boxing champion Dingaan Thobela.

He was buried at the Westpark Heroes Acres Cemetery, following a provincial state funeral on Thursday.

The MEC’s commitment came just after Reverend Mahlati had called out the government’s failure to invest in young people to be as great as Thobela.

“How can we not be a broken society when young people abuse drugs and alcohol and do not have access to libraries, sports? When I was in Brazil, you would never see young people roaming the streets, because there are recreational facilities,” he said.

Reacting to Mahati’s address, the MEC promised to honour Thobela posthumously and find ways to honour boxing legends by creating opportunities for them to mentor young people and tell their own stories.

“Thobela gave us an opportunity to forget what was going on in South Africa. He gave us comfort. He gave us an opportunity to forget what we were going through … He gave us a moment to forget what was going on. The reverend is correct that he united us all as South Africans. It is true that we must take this opportunity to also contribute to liberating our children as sports plays a key role in nation building,” Mosupyoe said.

Some of the initiatives, the MEC said, should be done in collaboration with the Gauteng and the National Film Commissions in ensuring that the story of South African boxing champions was preserved for future generations.

“We admit that as government, sometimes, we do not do enough to tell our stories both at province and at national level. You must tell your story now so that we can also admire and learn from yourselves.

“One of the weaknesses that we have as a government and I am saying it without fear because I know our mistakes. One of the weaknesses is that we are not allowing people to tell stories. I want to concur with the reverend that we must use the film commissions to make sure that we tell these stories to honour you while you are still alive,” she said.

Thobela was remembered by friends, family and the boxing fraternity as a kind and caring person who was not shy to give to others when called upon.

His sister, Agnes Thobela, recalled fond memories of her brother growing up in Chiawelo.

“At home, growing up, Dingaan was quiet but naughty. He was always looking for opportunities to make trouble as well as (have) fun with members of the family. Sometimes, he would scream after sneaking out of the living room unnoticed. However, he was kind and humble at the same time,” she said.

The boxer, nicknamed the Rose of Soweto, was last week found dead in his flat in Mayfair, Johannesburg, last week. He was 57.

Thobela captured the imagination of South African boxing fans as one of the greatest pugilist to come out of Soweto and rose to fame amid wins against leading boxers, including the famous fight with Tony Lopez in 1993.

The Star

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