A Boxing SA delegation, led by chief executive Tsholofelo Lejaka, allayed fears that former women’s world champion Noni Tenge was in poor health after paying her a visit at her Mdantsane home recently.
Tenge was reportedly suffering from a rare ailment which led to her being released from her job as a personal trainer in Gqeberha.
She was forced to return home to Mdantsane, where reports started swirling that she was struggling to make ends meet as her health deteriorated.
This prompted her former manager, Vido Mtekwana, to appeal to BSA to come to her rescue, with Lejaka and his second-in-command, Mandla Ntlanganiso, joining acting provincial manager Phakamile Jacobs and other stakeholders to visit her at her NU1 home.
Mtekwana confirmed that he reached out to BSA to come to Tenge’s rescue amid soaring medical bills as she battled to treat a rare ailment.
“I was concerned by her condition because she is struggling to get proper medical attention due to this rare illness,” he said.
“So we reached out to BSA to see if they could assist with medical assistance, and I am grateful they responded to the call.
“Since this illness started, Noni has lost her job in Gqeberha and was forced to return home.
“So she has been doing odd jobs to sustain herself, including imparting her boxing knowledge to up-and-coming boxers, but that still falls short to take care of the medical bills.”
Mtekwana, who is renowned for looking after boxers’ welfare in Mdantsane, where some are drowning in drug addiction and alcohol, said he could not sit by and watch his former protégé going through medical challenges even though they had split a while back before Tenge relocated to Gqeberha.
“Nomi remains part of us regardless of what happened in her career.”
Lejaka said he was delighted to find Tenge in high spirits after visiting her at her home.
“We received a report from her former manager, Mr Mtekwana, about her poor health sparked by a medical condition affecting her quality of life which prompted the visit,” he said.
“Upon meeting her, the team felt relieved as Noni appeared strong, bubbly and in good spirits.
“While her medical condition remains a concern, she is responding positively, managing well and coping with resilience.”
Mtekwana said BSA agreed to assist with medical treatment, which included seeing a specialist in Cape Town.
“She was encouraged to undergo a formal diagnosis to better understand her condition,” Lejaka said.
Tenge made history when she became the first female boxer to hold one of the four major world titles when she beat New Zealander Daniella Smith to win the IBF welterweight title in Brakpan in 2011.
However, she suffered the ignominy of losing her belt outside the ring when she was stripped after a fallout with her then promoter, Branco Milenkovic.
She suffered her first and only loss when she was stopped in eight rounds by American Layla McCarter in a clash for the WBA belt at the Orient Theatre a year later before rebounding to collect an assortment of regional titles.
Despite arguably being the most successful SA female boxer, which saw then sports minister Fikile Mbalula mobilise a slew of companies to sponsor her, one of which gave her a car, Tenge was disgruntled about how boxing treated her after beating Mapule Ngubani in her last bout in 2019.
Daily Dispatch
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