MDANTSANE- We welcome the ministerial visits. We welcome the condolences, the delegates, the speeches and the messages of support following the killing of former two-time world champion Zolani ‘Last Born’ Tete but once the dignitaries leave, one uncomfortable question remains; Who is protecting our champions?
Tete was not an ordinary sportsman. He was a two-time world champion who carried the name of the Eastern Cape and South Africa into International boxing stage.
Yet his death raises difficult questions about the vulnerability of sporting icons when they return home, was there any security assessment of Tete as a high-profile former world champion? Was his home considered a potential security risk? Was there any CCTV camera, alarm system, security patrol arrangement or other protective measure?
Perhaps most importantly, is it considered normal for internationally recognised sporting champions to live without even basic security measures? These are not questions being asked to score political points. They are questions that need answers because Tete’s death must teach us something. What are the lessons?
South Africa has repeatedly mourned high-profile personalities who became victims of violent crime. Every time, there are condolences. Every time, there are speeches but the bigger question is whether anything changes afterwards.We cannot continue celebrating our sporting heroes when they win, singing their names when they bring home international titles and then leaving them to navigate dangerous environments without meaningful support.
The Eastern Cape has produced fighters who have given decades of their lives to boxing. So what protection, welfare and support system exists for them when their careers slow down?What does Boxing South Africa do for former champions?
What does the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture(DSRAC) do for sporting icons who have represented the province and country?Where does the responsibility of government end and the responsibility of sporting bodies begin? Eastern Cape DSRAC must explain whether it has a formal policy dealing with the welfare and security of high-profile provincial sporting champions.
Does the department maintain a register of former national and international champions from the province?Are sporting legends assessed for vulnerability, particularly those living in communities affected by serious crime? Is there any programme through which former champions can receive assistance with basic security measures such as CCTV, alarms or improved links with local policing structures?If no such programme exists, will DSRAC consider creating one?And what discussions has the department had with Boxing South Africa following Tete’s death?
These questions are not an attack on officials. They are an appeal for leadership.
An appeal to Eastern Cape Premier Oscar MabuyanePremier Oscar Mabuyane has an opportunity to turn grief into a lasting legacy. The Eastern Cape should not only remember Zolani Tete through speeches and funeral ceremonies.His death should become the catalyst for a Zolani Tete Legacy Programme focused on the welfare of sporting champions.
That could include stronger support for former champions, partnerships with Boxing South Africa, security-awareness programmes and investment in boxing infrastructure in Mdantsane and the wider Eastern Cape.
The Premier can make this a legacy issue. Boxing South Africa must take boxers seriously. There is also a national question for Boxing South Africa.
Where is the long-term welfare system for boxers who have carried South Africa’s flag?What happens when the belts are gone?What happens when the television cameras disappear?
What medical, financial, retirement and welfare protections exist for former champions?
A boxer can generate enormous pride and potentially significant commercial value for promoters, broadcasters and sporting institutions.But when that career ends, the boxer should not simply become yesterday’s news.
Boxing South Africa must take boxers seriously before, during and after their careers.We have always sung for these guysWe sing for them when they win.We celebrate when they become world champions.We welcome them home.We put their names on banners. But perhaps it is time to ask whether we are doing enough when the celebrations end.
Zolani Tete’s death should not only be remembered as another tragedy.It should force government, Boxing South Africa and sporting administrators to confront a difficult question:What does South Africa owe the people who spent their lives making South Africans proud?We welcome the ministerial visits and all delegates.But we also welcome answers.Because if the lesson from Zolani Tete’s death is simply another round of condolences, then we have learned nothing.We have always sung for these guys.
Now it is time to protect, support and take care of them.
Courtesy of IMAGES: Supplied/ Wikipedia
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