Department fails to help Zolani defend his world title at home

SEVERAL pleas for the country’s lone major world boxing champion Zolani Tete to fight at home are likely to go unattended after the provincial department of sport, recreation, arts and culture (DSRAC) failed to put its money where its mouth is.

Tete is eager to make the first defence of his WBO world bantamweight title at home but it looks like his plans will remain just that after his promotion company did not get financial support from DSRAC.

While the department is yet to send letters to some individuals who submitted proposals to its sports tourism tender, Daily Dispatch has learnt that Tete’s Last Born Promotions (LBP) has not received the funding.

So far only two boxing promoters Xaba Promotions and Events of Ayanda Matiti and Zbashy Promotions owned by Matiti’s sister Sibongile have received funding.

Tete’s missing out on financial support is due to the fact that he is only registered as a boxer and not a promoter by Boxing SA, according to departmental spokesman Andile Nduna.

“In our investigation we discovered that BSA does not allow individuals to hold dual licences so in that score Mr Zolani Tete cannot be a promoter and a boxer at the same time,” he said.

‘The department does not fund boxers nor individuals but concepts presented by promoters.”

However this has been vehemently disputed by Tete’s manager Mla