Legal eagles corner Ngqula
Lawyers demand payment of R1.6m
THE net is closing on former television boxing commentator Dicksy Ngqula for failing to pay boxers their prize-money.
Two legal firms are demanding that he does so before the end of the month.
Ngqula allegedly owes four boxers a total of R1.6-million in prize-money they won in the Premier Boxing League (PBL) which was completed on February 1 in East London.
Among the four boxers is Xolisani Ndongeni who is owed a whopping R1-million for being the overall winner of the league introduced two years ago.
Ndongeni dropped a bombshell last week when he announced that he has left the province to join Colin Nathan and the country’s top promoter Rodney Berman in Johannesburg.
No sooner had Ndongeni walked into Berman’s Golden Gloves Promotion (GGP) office than Berman, who is a qualified lawyer, was readying himself to assist his new recruit. Berman promised to do his best to ensure that Ndongeni gets his money.
“We will help this boy get what is due to him. This is despicable and it tarnishes the image of boxing that someone can to do this to boxers,” Berman fumed.
“We will make sure that Ndongeni gets his money.”
Makazole Tete and Macbute Sinyabi who won the flyweight and featherweight divisions respectively have also enlisted the services of an attorney to recover their R200 000 apiece.
Their attorney Peter Allam has already sent a letter to Ngqula demanding payment to his clients by no later than March 27.
“We demand that the amount be paid to our clients directly or to our offices by no later than 27th March failing which we will not hesitate to proceed with legal action to recover the same,” the letter reads.
Meanwhile, the Dispatch can reveal that Ngqula was hauled into an impromptu meeting at the East London Airport last Friday attended by provincial sports, recreation, arts and culture (Desrac) MEC Pemmy Majodina.
The meeting, also attended by representatives of aggrieved boxers – including Cape Town-based Toto Helebe who won the bantamweight division and is promoted by Siphatho Handi – resolved to let Majodina liaise with Ngqula regarding the payment of his prize.
Ngqula, whose funders include Desrac, was given until the end of the month to pay up.
Ndongeni’s former manager Mzamo Njekanye has previously claimed that Ngqula had denied the fact that Ndongeni would also be paid R200 000 for winning the lightweight division on top of his R1-million.
And in a subsequent interview Ngqula argued that Ndongeni was only entitled to R1-million and would not get the extra R200 000 because he was the overall winner of the league.
“We said all the boxers would be competing for the R1-million first prize and consolation prizes of R200 000 for winning their respective divisions. Ndongeni won the first prize and therefore is not eligible for a consolation prize,” Ngqula said.
However Ndongeni was given two trophies – one for being the overall winner and one for winning his division – at a lavish awards ceremony at Orient Theatre shortly after the completion of the PBL tournament.