Perhaps winning Boxing SA’s 2018 manager of the year award was a divine motivation for Mlandeli Tengimfene to prepare himself for the bigger call of saving the life of Siyakholwa Kuse.
Kuse was sniffing his life and boxing talent away. Luckily, Sinethemba Kotana, who was rescued from that highway to hell by Tengimfene, screamed for help. Tengimfene reacted swiftly in 2022. He applied the same compassion and kindness he demonstrated when Kotana needed intervention.
A social scientist, Tengimfene’s gamble has paid dividends. Today Kuse is celebrated countrywide, especially in kuGompo City (formerly East London), for he is the first WBC world boxing champion from that boxing-crazy province.
Kuse’s name is written in the history books of SA boxing as the only fourth WBC world champion from South Africa. He won the mini flyweight belt last weekend at Emperors Palace, Ekurhuleni, from Melvin Jerusalem, the Filipino, who defeated Kuse in their first fight in Manila last October.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman was a ringside guest for promoter Rodney Berman, who convinced Jerusalem to come face Kuse in South Africa.
The significance of the WBC belt is that it is widely considered a gold standard, and for an athlete winning it is the ultimate validation that they are the top fighter in their weight division.
The boy had pure talent which needed to be nurtured. I saw him when he turned professional and there was a lot of hype around him because he had done very well as an amateur fighter
— Mlandeli Tengimfene on Siyakholwa Kuse
For South Africa, it’s an honour because that Mexico-based boxing body’s late president, José Sulaimán, and his colleagues fought for 17 years against the injustice of Apartheid here.
Sowetan spoke to Tengimfene about the long and probably thorny journey he travelled in his pursuit of saving Kuse’s life and bringing him back to boxing.
“I took him out of NU 18 in Mdantsane and brought him to my other house in Cambridge as I did with Kotana, and they all stayed in that house, which is like a clubhouse for my fighters,” said Tengimfene, whose first step was cutting off Kuse’s dreadlocks.
He wanted to save a life and talent.
“The boy had pure talent which needed to be nurtured. I saw him when he turned professional and there was a lot of hype around him because he had done very well as an amateur fighter. He also fought and beat Sivenathi Nontshinga and Nhlanhla Tyirha. I was there even when he lost to Xolisa Magusha for the SA title in 2019.”
He said things went off the track after Kuse became the SA champion in his fifth fight against Sibusiso Bandla.
“His weight was 45kg — a zombie, weak and heavily dehydrated when I found him,“ Tengimfene told Sowetan. “We had to put him on a drip to rehydrate him and feed him so that he could gain 7kg before I could cut him back to the mini flyweight division [where the limit is 47.6kg].”
That is boxing’s smallest weight division.
Tengimfene sent Kotana, Kuse and Theo Nxayiphi to Johannesburg in 2021, and they joined trainer Bernie Pailman in Westbury. A year later, Kuse beat George Kandulo in a fight that was promoted by Tshele Kometsi at the Portuguese Hall. “That fight was a launching pad for Kuse, and credit to Bernie and Kometsi,” said Tengimfene.
“The focus quickly shifted to reclaiming his SA mini flyweight title from Bangile Nyangani, and we did that and took his No 13 rating by the WBC.”
I was so emotional when his hand was raised in victory. My happiness comes from the fact that the impossible has happened
— Mlandeli Tengimfene
Tengimfene said he then engaged ABU vice-president, Peter Ngatane for Kuse to fight for his organisation’s title. Kuse won the ABU belt on December 3 2023.
“He became too big for me to handle because I didn’t have enough support from the province,” said Tengimfene, who introduced Kuse to Berman.
A test match against Beaven Sibanda for the WBC Silver belt was enough for Berman to welcome Kuse at his Golden Gloves stable in 2024.
Kuse then bolted Tengimfene’s stable in Mdantsane, and joined Vusi Mtolo in Johannesburg. After winning in May last year, Kuse left Mtolo and teamed up with Manny Fernandes. Berman pushed Kuse to the position of challenging Jerusalem for a fight he lost in the Philippines.
“I was so emotional when his hand was raised in victory,” said Tengimfene about Kuse’s biggest win two weekends ago. “My happiness comes from the fact that the impossible has happened.
“Congratulations to Kuse, his family and girlfriend, Zolani Tete, Bernie, Kometsi, boxers at All Winners and a special thanks to Rodney for making this utmost achievement possible.”
The lesson learnt, according to Tengimfene, is that every person deserves a second chance in life.
“We will continue to save troubled fighters,” Tengimfene said in his parting shot.
Sowetan
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