Sports minister Gayton McKenzie has slammed the neglect of SA boxing’s iconic East London venue, the Orient Theatre, and promised to start fixing it in five days.
Addressing a two-day boxing indaba at the East London International Convention Centre on Thursday, McKenzie said he was alarmed by the continuous neglect of historic sports facilities in the country.
The Orient Theatre, which continues to host national and international boxing bouts, has leaking taps and roofs, non-functioning lights and holes around the ring that pose a safety risk to boxers and officials.
Ablution facilities for spectators have long stopped working, raising questions on the health standards at the facility.
Boxing SA appealed to Buffalo City Metro to fix urgent defects during the December holiday break but the venue is still in a dilapidated state.
The venue has been allowed to degenerate into an appalling condition which should disqualify it from hosting sporting activities in line with the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act of 2010.
McKenzie said it was a slap in the face of efforts to preserve iconic sports facilities which served as entertainment centres during the apartheid era by holding SA’s most memorable fights.
“It is a shame that we neglect our historic sports facilities like this and as sports minister, I am going to make sure that we fix this,” he said.
“I am committing myself to ensure that work to revamp the Orient Theatre starts by Monday.
“Go there [on Monday] and you will see work starting to fix this iconic venue.”
However, it remains to be seen if work will be completed on time as tournaments are scheduled in March.
A big tournament featuring international bouts will be held at the venue on March 16 with another set to follow at the end of the month.
Among the stumbling blocks to repairing sports facilities was the decision to shift their budget from the sports ministry to municipalities which former minister Fikile Mbalula vigorously challenged before he was redeployed.
McKenzie said he had activated his minister’s discretion fund to ensure the venue gets a facelift.
Top East London promoter Ayanda Matiti, who will stage the March 16 show, expressed gratitude for McKenzie’s swift action to fix the venue and turn it into a tourist attraction.
Matiti, who wanted to use the ICC for his tournaments before being put off by exorbitant fees, said he did not expect the revamp to disrupt his show.
“These are some of the legacy venues which should never be allowed to perish as they connect us with our history,” he said.
The world title record-holder for most title defences by an SA boxer, Vuyani Bungu, lauded McKenzie for coming to the rescue of the venue.
Bungu, who works at BCM, said the region’s reputation as a boxing hotbed was intertwined with the Orient Theatre’s status as the venue hosting classic bouts.
“This is where we polish our talent before unleashing it to the world.
“I beat Saxon Ngqayimbana for my first title at the venue before gaining my revenge against Fransie Badenhorst for my first SA title after he beat me in Cape Town.
“I knew that he would never beat me in front of my supporters so you can see how the venue contributed to my legacy.”
While spectators still cram into the venue, turning it into a cauldron for visiting boxers, seeing international visitors use cellphone lights to help fighters warm up in anterooms reflected its dire condition.
McKenzie said other sports facilities would also get attention from his department.
He said the new BSA board he appointed in December had, among other things, been tasked with investigating how the regulator body found itself in dire financial straits which led to it relying on his department to keep afloat.
BSA could not pay salaries in some months, leading McKenzie’s office to advance its annual grant, with over-spending by the previous board flagged as one of the reasons.
“We at the department will pay the costs of the investigation and those fingered will have to go to jail,” he said.
While several factors had been cited for BSA’s poor financial situation including bloated employee costs, McKenzie’s predecessor Zizi Kodwa’s order to honour an out-of-court settlement with former chief executive Moffat Qithi, who was paid millions of rand, is believed to have drained the coffers.
BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya confirmed that the metro was aware of the challenges at the venue and said a report about measures to repair it would be tabled at a council meeting.
“The structural requirements of the venue [require] urgent intervention especially on the east side of the building to prevent complete collapse,” he said.
Ngwenya said the metro welcomed "the plan by the upper sphere of government which is part of the vision of what the boxing convention is all about and that is to alleviate the sport of boxing".
"Intergovernmental relations are about working together … for the betterment of our people."
Daily Dispatch
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