Innocent “Tycoon” Mantengu – a Shembe member from Mtubatuba in KwaZulu-Natal – says prayer heals all wounds. The former SA boxing champion who is based in Johannesburg was reacting to the recovery of his IBF All Africa junior-featherweight belt that was violently taken away from him in June during a robbery en route to Park Station to board a bus to Durban.
His WBA Pan Africa belt, which he won on May 28 after his hard-fought victory over Luthando Mbumbulawan at the Sandton Convention Centre, is still missing.
“Prayer heals all wounds. I am happy and relieved that at least one of my two belts is back,” said Mantengu, who took possession of his pride and joy on Wednesday at the MTN Noord Street taxi rank where the rank manager did the honours after almost two months of sleepless nights.
“I am now able to sleep at night. It has been tough though, going through a lot of emotions, imagining guns and knives being pointed at me for my belts. What also killed me spiritually was the thought of almost being killed leaving behind my two wives and my young children. I fought honestly inside the ring to win these belts and some people come and take them away from me violently with guns and knives; that’s not on.”
Mantengu has not lost hope that he will get the other belt back. “I am pleading with whoever is in possession of my other belt to drop it off at MTN taxi rank and leave it with the rank manager who has been of great help,” he said without dwelling on the nitty gritty of the search that eventually led to the recovery of his belt.
Mantengu would only give credit to a good Samaritan who allegedly bought the IBF All Africa boxing belt from “someone” before returning it. The robbery happened on De Villiers Street in Johannesburg.
Sharing the unpleasant experience, Mantengu said about 10 men armed with knives and two guns accosted him and took whatever they could lay their hands on before fleeing. Mantengu was heading to Park Station to board a bus to Durban for a boxing indaba. The fighter is trained in Johannesburg by former professional boxer and homeboy Samson Ndlovu.
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