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Veteran Mbelu removed from Most Promising Ring Official category

New CEO Tsholofelo Lejaka during the Announcement of Boxing South Africa C.E.O and the Unveiling of the BSA's Boxing is Back programme at GCIS Tshedimosetso House on May 20, 2016 in Pretoria.
New CEO Tsholofelo Lejaka during the Announcement of Boxing South Africa C.E.O and the Unveiling of the BSA's Boxing is Back programme at GCIS Tshedimosetso House on May 20, 2016 in Pretoria.
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images

Veteran boxing official Clifford Mbelu has been moved to the Ring Official of the Year category and newcomer Thandi Ngodwana from East London has been confirmed as the nominee in the Most Promising Ring Official of the Year category‚ Boxing SA Chief Executive Tsholofelo Lejaka has announced.

Mbelu from the Western Cape was initially nominated by the public in the Most Promising Ring Official category for BSA's 2017 awards to take place at Boardwalk Casino in Port Elizabeth on February 2.

But Mbelu's nomination in the category of newcomers was not well received because he has been around for over a decade.

The general feeling was that he had been degraded.

Lejaka explained that following an appeal received in line with Section 8 of the SA Boxing Awards Rulebook‚ the list of nominees of the SA Boxing Awards 2017 has now been amended.

"The amendment is‚ however‚ only in respect of one name out of a total of 58 names of nominees that were announced on the 10 January 2018 in the 16 categories of the SA Boxing Awards 2017‚" said Lejaka.

"The appeal referred to above‚ was received on Thursday‚ 11 January 2018 from the Western Cape Professional Ring Officials Association.

"In summary‚ the grievance related to the fact that Mr Clifford Mbelu‚ who was nominated in the category of Most Promising Ring Official of the Year‚ has long outgrown that category due to the duration of his service and his impeccable record over a period of almost three decades that he has served the sport of boxing.

"The appeal was processed by the Appeals Committee of the SA Boxing Awards which was established in line with Section 8.1 of the Rulebook and is chaired by the Board Member‚ Mr Luthando Jack.

"Having considered the merits of the appeal as well as all other facts related thereto‚ the Appeals Committee then arrived at the following decision‚ that:

"(a) Clifford Mbelu’s name should be removed from the category of Most Promising Ring Official of the year to that of Male Ring Official of the Year.

"(b) Clifford Mbelu should therefore become the fifth nominee under the category of Male Ring Officials of the Year‚ such that the nominees in that category are now Deon Dwarte‚ Lulama Mtya‚ Ben Ncapai‚ Allen Matekane and Clifford Mbelu

Lejaka added: "As a further lining‚ the exodus of Clifford Mbelu’s name from the category of Most Promising Ring Official of the year‚ then created an opportunity for the adjudication panel to then reconsider the nominations and come up with a third name.

"The name of Thandi Ngodwana has therefore now joined the list‚ and the nominees in the category of Most Promising Ring Official of the Year are now are Mandisi Mkile‚ Sipho Ndongeni and Thandi Ngodwana.

"Boxing South Africa expresses its gratitude to the Western Cape Professional Ring Officials Association for the disciplined‚ calm and compliant manner with which they handled their appeal.

"Boxing South Africa further congratulates the two nominees‚ Mr Clifford Mbelu and Ms Thandi Ngodwana for their nomination in the two respective categories where they are now confirmed as per the final list of nominees."

Lejaka said with this one and only appeal now safely dealt with appropriately‚ BSA is now set and ready for yet another exciting and impeccable edition of the Boxing Awards.

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