Eastern Cape boxing trainer Simphiwe Nana has thanked Gauteng Boxing Promoters for rescuing him and his boxer Michael Daries after being left stranded in Gauteng with no hope of returning home.
They spent Friday in Gauteng and were fortunate to have been accommodated by Roger Kumwenda – the SA-based Malawian boxing trainer – whom Nana referred to as a link between them and the Tanzanian promoter.
Nana and Daries were let down by that promoter, who failed to book their flight tickets to Tanzania, where Daries was scheduled for a non-title fight aganst George Bonabuca on Saturday.
Nana said they were unable to get assistance from a number of people they got hold of. They had been told that they would be able to get their flights on arrival at OR Tambo International Airport on Friday.
They flew themselves from Gqeberha to Johannesburg with the promise that they would get their money back in Tanzania. After spending a night at Kumwenda’s house they then reached out to Tshele Kometsi – whose promoter’s license was cancelled by BSA in November last year after being found guilty of misconduct – for assistance.
“We know Bra TK (Kometsi) of the Gauteng Boxing Promoters because he gave Michael a fight in his tournament at Booysens in May last year,” Nana told Sowetan.
“He advised Kumwenda to bring us to his offices on Saturday morning. Kometsi then made a call to promoter Bongani Dlamini of Bonglez Promotion and treasurer of the Gauteng boxing structure. An arrangement was then made to book us bus tickets to travel back home, including money to buy food. I want to thank them dearly for helping us,” he said.
Dlamini said: “We felt their pain and suffering and decided to provide help. We did this because we realised that there was nothing they could do.”
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