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Boxing promoters’ licences in Gauteng are in the wrong hands, according to Boxing SA (BSA) manager in Gauteng Lehlohonolo Ramagole.
On Monday, Ramagole was responding to a question on how his province can go a month or two without action when it has 24 BSA-licensed promoters.
Rodney Berman, Larry Wainstein, and Geraldine Lerena, and lately Terry Anne Hart, are consistent.
Five years ago, Gauteng was the most active, and it even accommodated boxers from other provinces.
Action spiralled down just after the Gauteng Boxing Promoters Association —chaired by Tshele Kometsi — was dissolved in 2023.
Ramagole said black promoters are dependent on government grants.
“They can’t do anything until they get that government grant,” he said.
“I think we, as BSA, must tighten the procedure of licensing promoters.”
A licensee – who asked to remain anonymous for fear of being victimised – said: “White promoters are assisted financially by the corporate world, which does not help black promoters.
“If the government stops helping black promoters, then the country will be left with white promoters only, and I don’t think that will be accepted.
“Look, without the corporate world, white promoters also won’t stage boxing tournaments — period."
READ: The era of R1,000 per round is over, vows Boxing SA
Ramagole’s boss, CEO Tsholofelo Lejaka, said: “A promotional licence is not merely a document of status. It is a serious commitment to the sport, to the boxers, and to the public.
“When a promoter acquires a licence but remains inactive, it stifles the growth of the sport, limits opportunities for boxers to earn a living, and denies the boxing community the high-level competition they deserve.
“Of course, there are many systemic and structural challenges that face the promoters themselves and as a result, too often, even with the best of intentions, most promoters still struggle to secure the requisite resources to stage tournaments and create opportunities for boxers.
“For example, when one looks at a busy province such as Gauteng, which in the financial year 2024/25 hosted 22 tournaments, the Eastern Cape hosted 16 tournaments in the same year.
“On the other hand, the Eastern Cape has 28 licensed promoters, whereas Gauteng only had 23 promoters during the same period. This is a demonstration that a higher number of licensed promoters in a particular province does not always translate into a larger boxing activity compared to other provinces.
“The resolutions of the national boxing convention of 2025 expressed a firm view that a promotional licence must be tied to tangible activity.
“Boxing begins and ends with the boxer, and it is the promoter’s responsibility to provide the platform for that journey.
“The practice of ‘licence hoarding’ — where individuals maintain active status in BSA records while failing to deliver tournaments — is an impediment to our vision of restoring boxing to its former glory.”
He said there are major reviews in the pipeline, and they include performance-based licensing.
“Boxing South Africa will be conducting a rigorous review of all current promotional licences,” he said.
“Licenses are granted under the expectation of activity. Failure to demonstrate intent or capacity to promote may lead to a re-evaluation of the licensee’s status.”
The chairman of the promoters’ association in Gauteng, Sandile Xaka, said: “The corporate sector is not friendly towards black promoters; I think we, as the association, must source marketing experts to workshop our promoters on how to compile a profile that will be attractive to the corporate sector.”
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