Boxing SA, consulting everyone, including the NPBPA for the new board – Tsholo Lejaka

Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture Gayton McKenzie dissolved the previous board led by Sifiso Shongwe after they lost a court battle against NPBPA and said he was avoiding more wastage on legal fees.

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The NPBPA had challenged the appointments of the two previous boards, citing a lack of consultation.

Lejaka says they are looking to work with everyone in the sport.

''Check, I think the attitude of the new Minister, Mr Mckenzie and he is on record saying this, is that he wants to reboot the sector. There's been wounds in the past, people have been hurt, others have been disappointed and you have to be mindful of those realities and those feelings. You need to create a space to work with everybody. Don't look for reasons to exclude others, look for reasons to include everybody. Ensure that what you are doing is transparent and you do it with the best of intentions, and people will read through your intentions and they will come on  board. We have started to talk to every person who is aggrieved, the attitude is that they are looking for what is best for boxing. And they also need to see the stability of boxing, to see Boxing South Africa that has a board, that has senior management and is able to  do its job - which is to administrate the sport of boxing,'' said Lejaka.

Lejaka says he has already met the leadership of NPBPA led by its Chairman Ayanda Matiti, and is positive that they will work together without any distractions to find the best solutions for boxing in the country.

''And, so far, the response has been positive and I must commend the boxing community, no matter what the previous experience has been like, they are saying we are willing to join you in this journey to rebuild the sport. I have met the promoters association, I think on the last day of September, we had some constructive conversations and have shared with us their reservations and issues we need to confront. Without sharing much, we remain confident from that meeting,'' added Lejaka.

Lejaka, now a senior official in the Sports, Arts, and Culture Ministry, has been seconded to the organization; he once served as the CEO.

He says they are targeting McKenzie and will appoint the new board by mid-November.

''We are hoping that around mid-November, the board would have been appointed and announced  by the Minister. I think this shows that the sports  ministry is walking the talk. The Minister's commitment is to stabilise the sport, and to do that you must address the issues of governance and issue that the new board is in place and recruit for the senior vacant positions that are there, and ultimately create everything that will help boxing to thrive,'' he expressed.

BSA also doesn’t have a permanent CEO and CFO, but Lejaka has assured that they will be the top priority for the incoming board next month as they look to stabilize the sport of boxing.