‘Terror’ Mathebula: SA’s first black world champion boxer, who fought his way up from townships
Trailblazing flyweight won wide popularity despite SABC’s apartheid blackout
● Tolotolo “Terror” Mathebula first endeared himself to white boxing fans a few years before he became SA’s first black world champion in 1980.
Mathebula, who died at the age of 67 last weekend, defended his black South African flyweight crown against Johannes “Slashing Tiger” Sithebe at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on the same bill as popular heavyweight Kallie Knoetze in early 1977.
Until then Mathebula, better known by his English name Peter, had been exclusively a township fighter, featuring at Uncle Tom’s Cabin and other Soweto venues.
He grew up in Mohlakeng, a township in Randfontein on the West Rand, where he earned his nickname early in his amateur days. He was pitted against a kid called Terror; Mathebula won the fight and with it the moniker.
Mathebula was living in Dobsonville, Soweto, when he turned professional in 1971, but he was distracted by friends and life on the streets. While helping an acquaintance in a fight one day he was stabbed in the neck.
With blood spurting out of the wound Mathebula walked to a clinic. It looked so bad that a passer-by commented to him: “Give my regards to heaven when you get there soon.” That made him realise he needed to take his career seriously.
After marrying he returned to Mohlakeng. His widow, Emma Gabaitsiwe, 65, collapsed and died on Thursday morning, hours before her husband’s scheduled memorial. The two will be buried together on Tuesday.
In 1977, pitting two black fighters against each other in front of a white crowd in the heart of Pretoria was a gamble.
But Mathebula and Sithebe delivered an all-action spectacle that had the fans on the edges of their seats. At the end of the 12th round they were applauded loudly and showered with cash thrown into the ring.
At the factory where Mathebula worked at the time, however, he was looked down upon, being called “boy” by his white superiors, the norm in apartheid SA.
The SABC had a similar racial outlook at the time Mathebula challenged Tae-Shik Kim of South Korea in Los Angeles in December 1980. The white bosses of the national broadcaster decided that only black fans would be interested in listening to the radio broadcast from the US.
The only available commentaries were in
Tswana and Zulu, which proved problematic to white fans who tuned in.
Boxing historian Ron Jackson listened to the entire transmission despite not understanding a single word. “I knew when the ring announcer read out the result eventually, it would be in English.”
The fight lasted a full 15 rounds.
Andre de Vries, also a historian, was at work early that morning, but he persuaded a black colleague to translate for him.
Mathebula won by a split decision, with only the South Korean judge scoring against him.
Mathebula had loved his experience in Los Angeles, witnessing white and black people living together normally.
“He believed in a united South Africa,” his son Patrick said. “He said that once we do things together, we are unbeatable.”
Mathebula returned home and took his family on holiday to Cape Town. “It was the first time I flew in a plane.”
Sponsored goods arrived at home, like a TV set, furniture and even groceries. Patrick also recalled visitors coming to borrow money. And there were parties.
Mathebula had earned just less than R6,000 as the challenger, but sponsors stepped up to ensure he’d earn R175,000 defending his belt at home.
There were negotiations for him to fight British and European champion Charlie Magri in England. Mathebula turned down a
R135,000 offer to go there, and the Englishman refused to fight “in front of 50,000 black fans” in Soweto.
Mathebula’s handlers eventually decided on the 10th-ranked contender, Argentinian Santos Laciar, who had previously been outpointed by Magri; the fight was set for Orlando Stadium on March 28, 1981.
But his preparation was less than ideal. He was taken on a cocktail circuit as a celebrity, which caused a furore. Trainer Willie Lock dismissed the criticism at the time, saying they had been doing the necessary training.
The fighter stayed at the luxurious Landdrost hotel in Johannesburg for a month, but he sneaked out occasionally. He once arrived back from a night out, smelling of booze, just in time to do his morning roadwork. His car sported a dent.
When asked what had happened, Mathebula replied jokingly: “A tree walked into the road.”
The lifestyle caught up with him ahead of the weigh-in as he drained himself losing the last 2.5kg.
Mathebula had been expected to walk through Laciar, but as he entered the ring and the crowd began singing Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika his wife got the feeling he would lose. She left the ringside and waited for him in the dressing room.
Mathebula was stopped in the seventh round. Lock copped much of the blame, but the boxer himself admitted to eating the wrong foods.
Mathebula retired in 1983 and the money dried up. While he had extended his home and invested in two minibuses to use as taxis, he also lent money to many people he never saw again.
“He was too generous,” recalled Patrick. But Mathebula harboured no ill feelings and his generosity endured through the years. He kept a keen eye on boxing, mostly on TV. Watching two youngsters fighting recently, he commented. “If it was me at my time, I’d finish this very fast. These youngsters are too soft. We were hard.”
The Mathebulas are survived by their children Patrick, Theresa and Maggie and nine grandchildren.