Times Of Swaziland: 3-YEAR SUSPENSION FOR RESIGNED EBA SECRETARY

3-YEAR SUSPENSION FOR RESIGNED EBA SECRETARY
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Pholsile Hlophe on 29/06/2022 08:45:00


MBABANE – Former Eswatini Boxing Association (EBA) Secretary General Thabsile
Mngomezulu has reportedly been suspended from attending any boxing activities
for the next three years.
This comes after the former executive member, who is also a member of Zebra
Force Boxing Club, tabled her resignation letter recently alongside two other
executive members, who included Sandile ‘Kidzo’ Shongwe and Muzi Shongwe.
Mngomezulu had made allegations of boxers’ and coaches’ victimisation as
well as unclear selection of coaches and boxers when she resigned. Some of the
allegations cannot be repeated due to ethical reasons.
confirmed
Mngomezulu confirmed her resignation but declined to comment further on the
suspension, pending a meeting with the EBA membership. “It is true that I have
resigned with two other members. I am still waiting for a meeting where the
membership will give me a mandate to talk to the media,” Mngomezulu
said.However, impeccable sources within the EBA alleged that the former SG
resigned mindful of charges that were laid against her and was due to appear
before the Disciplinary Committee (DC) for charges of tempering with the
International Boxing Association (IBA) data base, thus bringing the association
into disrepute. Zebra Force coach Maxwell Ngwenya felt that his fellow club
members’ suspension was unfair and one-sided, as she was not given a fair
opportunity to tell-all meeting that the president supposedly promised to
convene.
“Yes, she has been suspended from boxing activities for three years. She
resigned in May and a month later, we haven’t been called to the meeting where
she was supposed to tell her side of the story. My question is that how can she
be suspended when she has already resigned from the executive?”, Ngwenya asked
rhetorically. Executive members, Coach Mpendulo Mbingo who is also from Zebra
Force, regretted the way things were panning out, but acknowledged the DC’s
verdict.
unfortunate
“A lot went wrong. It’s unfortunate that this is happening a time where we
are preparing our athletes for the Commonwealth Games. Let us put the interest
of the athletes and boxing first. As a club, we were still hoping to address the
matter internally but unfortunately policies were breached and the situation
sprung out of control,” Mbingo said. Meanwhile, EBA President Webster Lukhele
declared his passion and determination to develop local boxing as well as
finding long lasting solutions to any challenges. “I was hoping that we would
fix this without anyone being suspended. The DC is legally constituted and
composes of people who have served the association for years. If that is the
verdict that they’ve reached, then we have to work with it going forward and
try rebuilding the sport as a unit,” Lukhele said.