Thanks for being generous, but why not help struggling boxer and his family when he was alive?

I HUMBLY greet all readers of this daily newspaper, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

I almost fell from my chair when Sello Rabothata, the deputy sports editor, afforded yours truly this glorious opportunity to communicate with you.

I must begin by requesting you beautiful South Africans to pat yourselves on the back for being such a loving and caring nation.

I am proud to be a citizen of this wondrous and majestic country that went down in history for hosting the first Fifa World Cup in Africa last year.

Remember, the international media had warned visitors about the monumental chances of their being hijacked, robbed, raped or killed.

But instead you warmly welcomed them, showed them around, dined them and most importantly took them to zoos where wild animals are kept - they had been told that lions and other dangerous animals wander around our yards.

I must also extend my gratitude to boxing promoter Rodney Berman, Graham Abrahams, Vusi Zwane and Jeff Ellis for organising a boxing tournament to honour national hero Jacob "Baby Jake" Matlala at Emperors Palace.

Berman, SuperSport and Emperors Palace jointly organised that box-and-dine event that saw 100 tables of 10 ranging in price from R7000 to R14000 being sold out.

An auction of various sporting memorabilia raised about R800,000. Football supremo Irvin Khoza, the Orlando Pirates and PSL chairperson, literally carried the auction by spending almost R500,000.

Berman said sports administrator Raymond Hack and SuperSport's head of enterprises Randall Abrahams will put the proceeds in an interest-bearing trust fund for Matlala. That is what we call ubuntu - humanity.

The same gratitude was extended to Nkosana "Happy Boy" Mgxaji, who died of natural causes a few days before Matlala's tournament.

The East Londoner, the best boxer never to win a world title, touched the hearts of many citizens with his gumption inside the ring.

Apparently he had no money when he died - the story of life for erstwhile boxers - so the Eastern Cape government paid for the funeral. But if the report that it spent R700,000 for Mgxaji's funeral is true, then I am flabbergasted. Why did they allow Mgxaji to live like a pauper but bury him like a king?

Look, he deserved a hero's send-off, but could it not have been wiser to give a chunk of that money to his family? Nonetheless, thanks to the Eastern Cape government.

I will steal a line from Robert Mugabe as my parting shot. He warned the British to keep their country and said he would keep his Zimbabwe.

I will also keep my South Africa irrespective of what other people say about it and its wonderful and caring citizens.

I take my leave.