by Sibusiso Masilela
In Durban
The future is bright for local boxing!
This comes after the Eswatini Boxing national team harvested three medals in the inaugural 2023 Mandela Cup.
The three Eswatini medallists are two female boxers Veliswa Magaya, and Temalangeni Dlamini, who both won silver medals and male boxer Nhlanhla ‘Mandoza’ Dlamini.
The latter won himself a bronze medal during the finals of the new continental cup on Sunday at Durban International Centre.
In prize monies, Veliswa and Temalangeni won themselves over E57 000 each, which is equivalent to $3 000 for finishing second in the women’s 52kg and 65-70kg categories respectively.
Meanwhile, male boxer Nhlanhla will smile to the bank E28 000 richer, which is equivalent to $15 00 using Sunday’s exchange rate after finishing second in the mens 51 kg category.
Eswatini Boxing Association (EBA) President Webster Lukhele congratulated the three boxers for their achievement.
“We are proud and excited with the three boxers’ performances. We still need to work hard as a country as the standard is high at international level. We will continue working hard in taking the sport to the next level,” he said.
Lukhele thanked the International Boxing Association for introducing the continental cup, together with government and local companies for supporting the team in its trip to South Africa.
“We appreciate the support of IBA, government and local companies for ensuring that we attended such an important competition,” he said.
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Lukhele was echoed by the vice president, who is also the squad Manager Emmanuel du Pont.
“We commend the good work that has been achieved by the team and we are grateful for the support that we received from government and local companies,” he said.
The Mandela Cup finally came to an end on Sunday with over 13 countries competing in the five-day spectacle.
The finals were witnessed by IBA and Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association(EOCGA ) board member Pearl Dlamini.
We will bounce back – Medallist
Eswatini’s medallists in the recently ended Mandela Cup have promised to do better in future international competitions.
The country’s outstanding boxers include Veliswa Magaya, Temalangeni Dlamini and Nhlanhla Dlamini, with the team winning two silver medals and one bronze in the continental cup,
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which was held successfully in Durban, South Africa at the International Convention Centre.
Magaya said she learnt a lot from the games.
“I was able to build my confidence from this tournament and I will continue working hard in future competitions to reach my full potential,” she said.
Meanwhile, fellow compatriot Temalangeni Dlamini said she would continue working hard to improve her stake in the sport.
“This was my first international assignment and I learnt a lot of aspects of the game,” Dlamini said.
On another note, male boxer Nhlanhla Dlamini said he gained a lot of experience from the tournament.
“This tournament was an eye-opener for me, and it encouraged me to continue working hard in my career,” he said.
Meanwhile, the squad head coach Douglas Simelane commended the team’s performance during the tournament.
“I am proud of my team’s performance even though we didn’t get a gold medal. The entire team showed resilience throughout the tournament and we need to continue working hard to achieve more as a county,” he said.
Simelane thanked the entire technical team for putting in enough efforts throughout the tournament.
The full squad
Males
Khaya Shongwe
Mukelo Dlamini
Andiswa Sibandze
Phelindaba Gamedze
Mitto Latches
Mayibongwe Mdluli
Nkosinathi Dvuba
Nhlanhla Dlamini
Females
Temalangeni Dlamini
Veliswa Magaya
Lucia Groening
Manager: Emmanuel Du Pont
Coaches
Ndumiso Mthembu
Muzi Shongwe
Douglas Simelane
Maxwell Ngwenya
Mpendulo Mbingo
Simanga Shiba
