The Ministry of Sport and Recreation South Africa held a milestone meeting with the Board of Boxing South Africa. The meeting was convened by the Ministry of Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) to receive progress made thus far by Boxing South Africa (BSA) and to discuss matters pertinent to the future of boxing development in our communities and the high level performance of Boxing in South Africa.
These discussions were very important because the National Sport and Recreation Indaba (NSRI) and the National Sport and Recreation Plan (NSRP) has resolved to make boxing as one of the “priority” codes to be given specialized attention in 2013.
At this important meeting, the Ministry further received an illuminating presentation from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Boxing South Africa (BSA), Mr Moffat Qithi and the Chairperson of Boxing South Africa, Mr Ngconde Balfour who is former Minister of Sport and Recreation in South Africa.
Underscoring and of particular importance from the presentation we received from BSA is a crystal intention to turn boxing in South Africa around into a leading sport code in our country and into a world boxing authority by 2017.
The vision 2017 as espoused by Boxing South Africa is adopted as a joint vision to be pursued with equal measure of vigour and energy by the SRSA and BSA in pursuit of our objective to lift boxing from the doll-drums and return it to its former glory. We appeal to all stakeholders and role-players in the sector to embrace vision 2017, participate constructively and meaningfully in order to resuscitate and promote boxing in all the provinces with the hunger and appetite for boxing.
We are encouraged by the emphasis placed in the interest of the boxer and we can now look forward to a new dispensation that will benefit the athletes so that they themselves can have something to show for their involvement in the sporting code in which they have dedicated their lives.
The presentation entitled “Boxing South Africa Business Model” by Boxing South Africa postulates a mission statement that recognises the need for effective administration and regulation of professional boxing by:
- ensuring and safeguarding the safety, health and general well-being of professional boxers.
- promoting, marketing, and sanctioning quality boxing events and tournaments.
- ensuring credibility rating of boxers and training licenses.
- positioning Boxing South Africa as a point of reference for all international sanctioning bodies.
- improving the stature of national and provincial titles.
- coordinating the activities of all boxing stakeholders in the country.
To achieve these objectives BSA need to ensure that there is strong leadership, accountability and diversity across all business units and governing spheres. The envisaged functional structure and core business of BSA places governance and administration, compliance and enforcement, marketing, branding, communication and events management as the fulcrum around which revenue-generating strategies will evolve.
Hence, we note with a great sense of excitement the establishment of internal committees to drive with an increased speed. This will ensure a more increased success rate in all areas of business and governance within BSA in a more transparent and conducive environment for all role-players and stakeholders as well as to add value and make a difference in this sector.
As a matter of principle we coalesced on the principle that the ownership of the brand boxing belongs to Boxing South Africa. It is within the powers vested on Boxing South Africa by the South African Boxing Act No 11 of 2001. The ownership of professional boxing product and brand in our country belongs to Boxing South Africa. It is in our view that we cannot be held to ransom by anybody regarding who we enter into agreements with regarding professional boxing.
The South African Boxing Act stipulates that “Boxing SA may enter into an agreement with anybody or organisation for the performance of any function that Boxing SA deems necessary for the proper regulation of professional boxing in the country” as long as that person or body is independent of BSA.
We support the muted multi-lateral agreement involving ETV, Super Sport, SABC and BSA on broadcasting rights that will result in millions of boxing fans watching their favourite sporting code on their television in the comfort of their homes and listening to boxing broadcasting from their radios.
As a result, it is our submission that we had a very successful meeting and I am delighted that this meeting managed to develop and adopt a plan of action characterised by critical success factors that we will collectively drive as part of the turnaround strategy of BSA. In the interest of Boxing, we have agreed together with BSA on a comprehensive turnaround strategy underpinned by the following milestones:
- BSA will introduce guiding principles for improved revenue streams and revenue collection. We will ensure that revenues is generated from government grants, bequests, site fees, ticket sales, registration fees, tournament licensing fees, penalties, incomes from invested surplus, sponsorship and fundraising, broadcast and advertising income. Our projection and targets for 2013/14 is 5 million, for 2014/15 is 6.2 million and 2015/16 is 7.1 million in revenue collection stream. Sustainable, effective and efficient revenue management systems and processes will couple this drive.
- We will henceforth establish provincial offices that will be capacitated by a Provincial Manager, an Inspector and an Administrator per province. The Members of Executive Councils for Sport and Recreation (MECs) in the Provinces are being consulted to ensure that support from the provinces is landed and extended to the offices, projects and programmes.
- Linked to the aforementioned process is the urgent establishment of the Professional Boxing League and we are looking forward to a concrete plan within the next few weeks of the size and shape of the proposed league.
- We will in the coming month be launching a programme aimed at training officials, referees, judges and fight supervisors. Judges manuals, pocket booklets on the boxers’ bill of rights, referees manuals and supervisors’ manuals.
- As a Commission, the Boxing South Africa will pursue the establishment of a Boxing Appeals Committee and further explore the establishment of a National Boxing Federation amalgamating amateur and professional boxing.
- Together with BSA we will be handing out boxing equipments in communities such as KwaNobuhle in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape, Soweto in Gauteng and Khayetsha in the Western Cape.
- We will take all the necessary steps to ensure that television, radio and motion picture rights reside with Boxing South Africa. We are confident that as soon as the trilateral Memorandum of Understanding involving BSA, Super Sport and SABC is signed, we believe the conclusion of the deal will unlock sponsorship opportunities for BSA as broadcasting of boxing returns to the screens.
We have both realistic and ambitious plans that in our view will invariably be a cause for robust debates and demand for mind-set shift within the sector. In anticipation of such robust engagement and mind-set shift, we have taken the liberty of convening a Boxing Indaba during the month of May 2013 involving all stakeholders to deliberate on all matters that affect Boxing in South Africa and ensure that there is clarity on our delivery strategy for boxing in our country.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are sure that this is not just going to be a talk-shop but a conference that will after deliberations produce resolutions, consequentials and declaration to be signed and implemented by all. This to us is a defining moment in South African boxing.
Thank you!
For more information please contact:
Paena Galane
Cell: 079 509 9833
