STEVE Masike, a co-founder member of the Dube Boys Club in Soweto, says there is no way that the boxing gym they established in 1957, will be renamed after the late former boxing world champion, Jacob "Baby Jake" Matlala
.
"Over my dead body," said a furious Masike yesterday.
A lawyer by profession, Masike - who is also one of the trainers in the gym - was reacting to the announcement last Thursday by Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula that the famed boxing gym would be named after Matlala.
Matlala began and ended his illustrious career at the same gym where his late father trained.
"If the name of this gym is to change at all then it can be named after Theo Mthembu [fellow founder member]," said Masike.
"No outsider can just come and do things his or her way in this gym without talking to relevant people."
Masike, whose spleen almost exploded on Thursday when Mbalula and American boxing star Floyd Mayweather officially unveiled a plaque named after Matlala at the gym, said what annoyed him most was that the minister did not even bother to consult them.
"If this is about scoring political points, then it shouldn't be at the expense of the people's gym," he said.
"Mbalula has insulted us. Who is Matlala?
"He's a boy who trained in this gym by default just because his father trained here. We cannot fold our arms and allow Mbalula to wish away the legacy of this gym. What are they saying to the legends of this gym - Mthembu, [Levi] Madi, [Gabriel] Dlamini, [Anthony] Morodi, [Johannes] Sithebe, TNT [Ben Lekalake], Jacob Jobe, Kid Bassie [Alfred Buqwana] and many more?"
Masike said they appreciated Mbalula's gesture to honour Matlala.
"The academy he [Mbalula] is talking about cannot be started within this gym. We did not start this gym by mistake. We used to play ping-pong [table tennis] here before starting the boxing club," said Masike.
Matlala's wife, Mapula, his sons Tshepo and Masego, were also present at the unveiling of Matlala's plaque on Thursday.
"This gym brings back sad memories," she said.
There was drama on Thursday when Buqwana, a veteran top referee and judge, was manhandled by security personnel when he entered the gym on Thursday.
'Mbalula cannot rename our gym'
STEVE Masike, a co-founder member of the Dube Boys Club in Soweto, says there is no way that the boxing gym they established in 1957, will be renamed after the late former boxing world champion, Jacob "Baby Jake" Matlala
.
"Over my dead body," said a furious Masike yesterday.
A lawyer by profession, Masike - who is also one of the trainers in the gym - was reacting to the announcement last Thursday by Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula that the famed boxing gym would be named after Matlala.
Matlala began and ended his illustrious career at the same gym where his late father trained.
"If the name of this gym is to change at all then it can be named after Theo Mthembu [fellow founder member]," said Masike.
"No outsider can just come and do things his or her way in this gym without talking to relevant people."
Masike, whose spleen almost exploded on Thursday when Mbalula and American boxing star Floyd Mayweather officially unveiled a plaque named after Matlala at the gym, said what annoyed him most was that the minister did not even bother to consult them.
"If this is about scoring political points, then it shouldn't be at the expense of the people's gym," he said.
"Mbalula has insulted us. Who is Matlala?
"He's a boy who trained in this gym by default just because his father trained here. We cannot fold our arms and allow Mbalula to wish away the legacy of this gym. What are they saying to the legends of this gym - Mthembu, [Levi] Madi, [Gabriel] Dlamini, [Anthony] Morodi, [Johannes] Sithebe, TNT [Ben Lekalake], Jacob Jobe, Kid Bassie [Alfred Buqwana] and many more?"
Masike said they appreciated Mbalula's gesture to honour Matlala.
"The academy he [Mbalula] is talking about cannot be started within this gym. We did not start this gym by mistake. We used to play ping-pong [table tennis] here before starting the boxing club," said Masike.
Matlala's wife, Mapula, his sons Tshepo and Masego, were also present at the unveiling of Matlala's plaque on Thursday.
"This gym brings back sad memories," she said.
There was drama on Thursday when Buqwana, a veteran top referee and judge, was manhandled by security personnel when he entered the gym on Thursday.
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