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According to many in the boxing fraternity and those who knew Thobela, he died trying to revive the sport and put it back to where it once belonged.

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Sizwe sama Yende

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It would be a surprise to the born-frees to know that boxing was once the second most popular sport after soccer in South Africa.

I am reminded of this fact after news that former world boxing champion, Dingaan ‘The Rose of Soweto’ Thobela has died at 57 years old.

Memories of this pugilist’s fights, magazine and newspaper articles and interviews he did on TV and radio stations are still etched in my mind, and vivid, like they happened yesterday.

In those days, in rural areas like Daggakraal with no electricity, families used car batteries or petrol and diesel engines to power TVs. We could not miss to watch Dingaan Thobela’s overseas fights at 3am to 5am local time.

He was our hero, a demigod, and a poster boy of various products he endorsed. Boxing was still televised live on prime sport slots in those days; hence it was popular and hence it split our loyalties as teenagers because football was also our love. I naturally idolised soccer stars of that era such as Doctor Khumalo, Tebogo Moloi and Marks Maponyane but left a space for The Rose of Soweto and the late Jacob ‘Baby Jake’ Matlala – another world champion from our shores.

The late 80s and 90s – and perhaps the early 2000s, I would say, were the golden era of boxing in South Africa. Unlike today, the South African public know more about Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather than their own local champions. South African boxers cannot bring a street to a standstill because they are virtually unknown.

We lack world champions now, but back then, we had many great boxers occupying the international stage such as Matlala, Jan Bergman, Brian Mitchell, Thulani ‘Sugarboy’ Malinga, and later Vuyani Bungu, Lehlogonolo ‘Hands of Stone’ Ledwaba and Phillip ‘Time Bomb’ Ndou.

In my case, soccer eventually won because there was never a boxing club in Daggakraal. Nonetheless, some of us would still sport Thobela’s legendary haircut.  He cut a short line from the middle of the forehead towards the side of his head.

Thobela was a polyglot. It was a marvel for me to watch his live interviews as he spoke in different languages on national TV.

The man lived a celebrities’ life and his love life was a public affair. During the time he was a world champion, he was romantically involved with reigning Miss SA (1994) and 1995 Miss World first runner-up, Basetsane Khumalo née Makgalemele.

This was one of the most public love affairs in the country.

Since boxers were celebrities back then, the couple’s troubled relationship became tabloid fodder. I remember, vividly, a magazine article where Thobela poured out his disappointment about their separation. The couple would later reveal more about their relationship by penning autobiographies.

Nowadays, South Africans follow and know less about local professional boxers as local boxing no longer gets enough airtime as it used to.  They follow the careers of foreigners such as Mayweather, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and even mixed martial arts champions who have crossed over to boxing to try snatch some coveted belts - Connor McGregor and Francis Ngannou.

According to many in the boxing fraternity and those who knew Thobela, he died trying to revive the sport and put it back to where it once belonged.

Thobela’s death should be a reminder to those in authority that they have a responsibility to restore boxing to its rightful place, bring back the vibrancy and produce world champions once again.

Lastly, as a spin-off, bring hope to the youth by producing rags to riches champions like Mayweather.