Boxing coach helps to take kids off Giyani’s streets
As a woman in a male-dominated sport, Xirhuli Bungele, a resident of Risinga View in Giyani, faced many challenges when she first started boxing in 2010 while still in primary school in Shawela village.
She had to spar with boys because no other girls who boxed were available. However, this did not deter her from becoming a boxer. She continued training with boys until she eventually found female boxers to spar with years later in Malamulele, Port Elizabeth, and other areas across the country. However, things changed after she finished high school and she needed to balance between advancing her education and her boxing career.
“Given my situation at home, I felt the need to focus more on my education because I wanted to improve my circumstances since I was not making money with boxing,” she said, adding that that marked the end of her boxing career. Despite the challenges she faced in her life that led to her failing to advance her boxing career, her love for boxing persisted.
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“I decided to establish a club to train young boxers, to keep them off the streets by offering an alternative sport to keep them busy after school,” she said. The lack of boxing infrastructure in Giyani did not deter her from pursuing her passion. She asked to use the premises of a crèche near her home as a boxing gymnasium after school hours when all the children have gone home.
“We do our training here on the porch; as you can see, we’re practically outside,” she said, pointing to an area of the porch that she transforms into a gymnasium every day after school to accommodate her boxers. “A formal boxing gym would be beneficial because it would allow us to invite boxers from other areas for friendly tournaments that would help us build skills,” explained Bungele, who acquired a boxing coach certificate after she stopped fighting.
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“There are many kids with talent, but the lack of facilities in Giyani holds them back. That’s why I started this club,” she said. Meanwhile, even though her club was only established last year, Bungele claims to have already had four of her fighters compete in formal competitions. “We have had four boxers compete in tournaments held in Malamulele, Tzaneen, and Waterberg so far.”
“Given that our boxing club started in May last year, I think this is a significant achievement,” she said appealing for donors to help her train more kids. “Our challenge is finding a training space. We can’t stay here forever; we need a proper facility to train more kids. Unfortunately, this can only happen if the municipality contributes by building us a clubhouse,” she said.
