Pulling punches against Drugs and Alcohol Abuse

By: Palesa Mohlamme

                                              

Boxing Tournament at the Life skills development center                    

  

Photos by: Palesa Mohlamme

Two young girls were part of an exciting boxing tournament that pulled punches against drugs and alcohol abuse at Noordgesig community centre, in Soweto. The LDAC in partnership with the Noordgesig Evangelistic life skills development centre and Soweto Young Boxing Association are behind the great initiative against drugs, alcohol abuse and skills development. Thirteen judges were present at the tournament that included Teboho Ledwa, a former South African boxing Champion. 

The life skills development center was filled with local supporters and star attraction boxers from Noordgesig, Central Western Jabavu, White City, and Dobsenville. The tournament opened with the under 15s challenging facing each other, with the first round of the bout, getting off to a storming  start much to the delight of the fist cuffs fans Anele Duduze from Tshepisong who weighed just 11 kg, ,romped to a first round victory against Tankiso Monyobo from Soweto. 

The bouts were three rounds and the boxer fought with passion and showed discipline for the beloved sport way beyond their age throughout the tournament. The LDAC and skills center host their social and sports events without any financial support from the corporate world. They rely on locals who folk out their hard earned cash to keep this worthwhile initiative going. Coach Raymend Mshifane, from Mshifane boxing development is one of the many 12 coaches involved in the tournament. He trains young people to take up boxing to keep them from social ills such as crime, nyaope and abuse of alcohol. 

Elders in the community like Noma Naude, 59, is a keen and active supporter of the campaign. She sold refreshments and food during the tournament. “I have been running a kitchen soup for twelve to fifteen years and I cook for three hundred to three hundred to fifty people every Thursday at my house. I receive support from church collections and I also cook for the people at my church”, said Naude. 

The organisers of the tournament slammed the killings of two police officers gunned down on duty in Dobsenville last week. The pair from the family violence, child protection and sexual offence unit hero shot by a gang of armed me. To date a shocking 62 officers have been killed in the line of duty this year, bring the violence prevailing in the country that the organisers also highlighted into sharp perspective.