South African middleweight champion Barend van Rooyen has been banned for two years from active professional boxing by the SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAids), Boxing SA chief operations officer Cindy Nkomo has announced.

SAids announced that the ban on 40-year-old Van Rooyen is effective from January this year to February 17 2020.

"He has the option to appeal the sanction within 21 calendar days after receipt of the written notification of the SAids decision. The notification was sent to van Rooyen today," said Nkomo yesterday.

"We as BSA will obviously want a boxer to exercise all the remedial action available to him and therefore as a precaution, we will wait until the 21 days has lapsed before beginning the process of declaring the SA title vacant."

Van Rooyen tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide and its metabolites, as well as chlorothiazide. Samples of his urine were taken after he had won the vacant SA title against Yanga Phethani on December 12.

SAids announced that Van Rooyen declared on his doping control form that he had taken Accurate, calcium, magnesium, a vitamin B complex and AM3, but he did not mention any other medication.

"The urine samples were submitted to the Control Laboratory, which was at the time a laboratory accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada)," said SAids.

"An analysis of the A-sample [returned an] adverse analytical finding in that it revealed the presence of hydrochlorothiazide and metabolites and chlorothiazide. It turned out that Van Rooyen had been taking Co-Pritor tablets that contain hydrochlorothiazide, which resulted in the presence of hydrochlorothiazide and its metabolites in his urine sample."

Hydrochlorothiazide is a prohibited substance in terms of Wada. It is listed under diuretics and masking agents.

According to SAids, Van Rooyen did not dispute the finding and waived his right to have the B-sample tested.

Van Rooyen then appeared at a hearing of the Independent Doping Panel, assisted by his promoter Andre Thysse.

Thysse is said to have explained that Van Rooyen had been diagnosed with hypertension and had taken Co-Pritor tablets to treat this condition.

But the panel found Van Rooyen guilty of violating the sporting code.