BABA admits failure

heights and this is evident in the number of pugilists that have left the sport after being frustrated with training without fights.
The city’s two boxers that BABA drafted into the Zimbabwe All-Africa Games team performed badly. Foster and Stephen Masiyambumbi were knocked out in the opening rounds of the competition because of lack of adequate fights to get them ready for that level of competition.
In an interview yesterday, BABA organising secretary Mandla Phuthi said his executive had a poor 2011 because some executive members failed in their duties.
“By any standards we failed boxing last year. I think we got a rude awakening and now we just have to focus on reviving boxing in Bulawayo. We will be meeting soon to map the way forward but the problem is that I can’t find the secretary-general so that he writes a notice for the meeting.
“As for having two events last year, I don’t want to point fingers at people but the problem is that we were not working together as an executive. Most people were nowhere to be seen and it was difficult to organise anything. They just let us down,” said Phuthi.
To show that the BABA executive is in a mess, Phuthi could not identify the secretary-general by name.
The BABA executive is made up of the chairman Masiyambumbi, has Charles Wadawu of Emakhandeni’s Green Mambas as the deputy, secretary Lewis Chihata, Precious Mhondoro (treasurer) and Phuthi.
Veteran trainer Phillip “Striker” Ndlovu and Ezwell Ndlovu are the two committee members.
BABA-organised competitions are used to select pugilists who will represent the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province at the Zimbabwe National Youth Games and other national competitions.
Boxers who excel at national competitions are selected to represent Zimbabwe at the Zone Six Games and Olympics among other major events that do not require professional boxers.
Some of the young boxers that have been produced from Bulawayo include multi-medal winners at the National Youth Games Ntando Sibanda, Brighton Masiyambumbi and exciting Meluleki Ngulube.
Ngulube and Sibanda were forced to turn to professional boxing last year after going for months without fights.
Phuthi said among other ideas that they had to revive boxing in the city was to encourage clubs to organise monthly competitions.
At last year’s elections, nine clubs – Sizinda, Nkulumane, Nketa, Tshaka, Lobengula, Green Mambas, Prison, HQ One Brigade and Young Arts voted.
Iminyela and Bulawayo District missed the elections.
“If everyone in the executive starts taking their responsibilities seriously, the sport will be revived. Some of the things that we had planned to do include reviving monthly club fights and getting a sponsor so that we do open air tournaments,” said Phuthi.
The BABA executive will have to devise ways of making decisions without their chairman who spends most of his time in Harare at work. He is also the national association technical director and is involved with the sport in the Zimbabwe National Army School of Sports.
There are also concerns that since Emakhandeni no longer has a boxing club as most pugilists have relocated, Wadawu’s commitment to the association might be compromised.
Others within the boxing sector believe that former secretary-general Themba Manyanda should be recalled to help resuscitate the sport in the city.
“The problem is that the chairman is not always here due to work commitments. He works for the army and is based in Harare so it is difficult to make some decisions without his input. Even if we call for meetings to map the way forward, he might be in Harare and fails to attend. I think the previous executive worked better because they were bold enough to do some things even without his input for the good of the sport,” said a source.