Smangele "Smash" Hadebe, 31, has detailed how boxing helped her find the courage to speak up after enduring years of sexual abuse as a child, using the sport as a platform to get over her chastening, painful past suffered at the hands of a trusted family friend.
The reigning SA and three-time African Boxing Union champion revealed she found solace in the fistic sport, which helped her overcome previous trauma inflicted by the said family friend who turned out to be a child tormentor.
“Boxing became my therapy, it helped me gain a voice,” Hadebe told Sowetan on Tuesday after being named one of the ambassadors for Discover Sport, a digital platform that enables users to upload sports videos and personal channel that document their competitive journeys.
“I was sexually molested as a child. The abuse happened from when I was seven years old to nine. But it was not until I was 23, when I teamed up with Colleen McAusland (manager), that I managed to speak up. Boxing gave me that courage.”
I was sexually molested as a child. The abuse happened from when I was seven years old to nine. But it was not until I was 23, when I teamed up with Colleen McAusland (manager), that I managed to speak up. Boxing gave me that courage.
— Smangele "Smash" Hadebe
While Hadebe could not bring the perpetrator to justice as he had moved provinces by the time she wanted to act, she believes she has fully healed from the traumatic experience.
“Speaking out actually heals and I hope to help others who may be going through the same. I hope they get justice.”
Hadebe bemoaned the fact that she has not fought in SA for over a year, and the cancellation of next week’s tournament, where she was scheduled to face Nigerian Olamiposi Solomon in Kagiso, has left her even more frustrated.
“The tournament has been postponed to September 26, but the postponement is really frustrating because you have to train in a certain way, diet in a certain way preparing for a tournament. It’s exhausting to train for nothing,” Hadebe said.
She called for BSA to implement financial penalties for promoters whose tournaments are cancelled at the last minute. “Currently, promoters pay only 10% deposit towards a tournament. If they paid 50%, we would still be paid from that for cancelled tournaments. Now as ambassador for Discover Sport, it would be great if they saw me fighting at home and unfortunately we have to wait a while for that.”
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