IS it possible for a boxing trainer to know the outcome of a fight prior to the bout? Oh yes, trainer John Tshabalala does.

Tshabalala, who is about to become a fully fledged sangoma, claims to know in advance if his fighters will win or lose their bouts.

I get told in my dreams if my boxer will lose a fight and that is sad because I cannot share it with them,” said Tshabalala, the nephew of retired successful boxing trainer Elias Tshabalala. He had foreseen, for example, the defeat of his fighter Cletus Mbele before it happened.

It happened before Mbele was stopped in the 11th round by Sboniso Gonya for the WBA Pan African bantamweight belt in Durban just before Christmas.”

Tshabalala, who denies using muthi to assist his own fighters, says his decision to become a sangoma saved the life of his daughter Sibongile, now 15.

She almost died from unknown illnesses,” the 43-year-old former Gauteng provincial juniormiddleweight champion from Protea Glen in Soweto said.

Nothing could help her until I decided to consult with traditional healers. That is where I got told that I am actually the cause for her sickness. I was told that the noise I hear in my ears are voices from my ancestors who are trying to communicate with me. Still I was confused.”

Tshabalala, a driver for an attorney, said it was explained to him in one simple word that he must be an isangoma. I ignored that and suddenly my daughter’s life deteriorated. I went back to the person who had communicated that message to me. He warned me that if I continue ignoring the calling, I may lose my daughter.

So then I said if I really loved my daughter, I must do as told by my ancestors and I then responded positively in 2014.”

He was then advised in his dreams to go to KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga where he had never been before to meet his teacher (

I did that and while on the way, a message was communicated that I must go to this particular address and the rest is history. I am still a trainee but I will be graduating next month. But ever since I answered the calling my daughter’s life has improved dramatically after Western medicines had not helped her.”

Tshabalala, who retired as a fighter in 2003, teamed up with Charles Mabunda and produced their first national boxing champion in Tsiko Mulovhedzi in 2012.

They also guided him to a fifth round stoppage win against Ali Funeka for the IBO welterweight title in East London last year. But the two trainers went their separate ways in August.

Tshabalala took Cletus Mbele and female SA welterweight and juniormiddleweight holder Julie Tshabalala (no relation).

He guided Mbele to victory for the WBF All Africa bantamweight title after stopping Mxolisi Nombewu in two rounds in October while Tshabalala failed to add the same organisation s junior middleweight strap after losing to Noni Tenge in December.

But it is hard to be isangoma, father and boxing trainer because I must still be myself at the end of it all,” said the married father of four. There are restrictions such as sleeping with my wife the way I used to [he needs the permission of his ancestors before, and to do a cleansing ceremony afterwards] and eating fish [which is forbidden]. I have to make a special request to the ancestors to leave the house including coming [here] for this interview. Otherwise there would serious repercussions.”

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