MTHATHA- Champion boxer Vuyolwethu Dila has fought many battles in the ring, but none tougher than overcoming a crippling tik addiction that nearly destroyed her future.
Today, the 25-year-old from Mthatha stands tall as a graduate of University of Fort Hare(UFH) after defeating crystal meth dependency, personal loss and years of self-doubt.
Dila graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in criminology during the university’s 2026 Autumn Graduation ceremonies.
Her journey to the graduation stage was anything but ordinary. “I was drowning in drugs; did crystal meth three times a day,” she said. “I even started selling my clothes.”
Dila said she was introduced to friends who smoked tik while still in school, but initially resisted trying the drug herself.
That changed during her matric year when curiosity got the better of her.
She insists she does not blame peer pressure for her choices.
“Everyone is accountable for their own actions,” she said.
At the time, Dila was already regarded as one of the country’s promising young boxing talents after being introduced to the sport by her uncle at the age of nine.
In 2018, she represented South Africa at the Olympic qualifiers in Morocco and claimed gold at the Region 5 Games in Botswana.
Academically gifted, Dila had dreamed of becoming a medical doctor but her addiction quickly derailed those ambitions.Although she still managed to achieve a Bachelor’s pass in matric, her marks were not strong enough to secure admission into medicine.
Despite her worsening addiction, she continued boxing competitively in 2019.The drug caused severe weight loss, which initially gave her the illusion that she was fitter but her performances in the ring steadily declined.
Furthermore, her turning point came after a terrifying experience with hallucinations.“Crystal meth takes your mind. I started seeing things, I was hallucinating,” she recalled.
The experience pushed her to seek help through prayer and sheer determination. She quit drugs cold turkey and focused on rebuilding her life.Instead of giving up, Dila said she decided to “tap back into reality”.
Watching her peers move on to university and employment motivated her to pursue a different path.
In addition a year later, she applied to Fort Hare intending to study towards a Bachelor of Science degree.
When her matric results fell short of the requirements, she enrolled in a one-year mathematics programme instead.Just as her life appeared to be improving, tragedy struck in 2021 when her grandmother, who had raised her, died.
Dila said the loss tested her emotionally, but boxing helped her remain focused and avoid returning to drugs.“I had a vision of how I wanted my life to be. I told myself to focus on my sport and give it my full attention,” she said.
In 2022, after spending four years out of the national boxing setup, she earned another call-up to represent South Africa.It was also her first year as a student at Fort Hare.
Unable to pursue a BSc degree, Dila enrolled for a Bachelor of Arts and soon discovered a passion for criminology through the university’s social sciences department.
“Forensic science is very close to my dream of medicine and I passed my subjects with distinctions,” she said.
During her time at university, Dila collected several medals at University Sports South Africa competitions and also secured a podium finish at the World Student Boxing Championships in Turkey.
She later finished runner-up at the Mandela African Boxing Cup.“Fort Hare saw something in me and took me away from the streets,” she said.
Dila is now pursuing a postgraduate Certificate in Education while preparing for a future return to the boxing ring as a professional fighter next year.
Source: UFH
Additional report: EC Daily News
Photographs: UFH/Supplied
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