The power is in the fists

LIMPOPO – MUSANGWE fighter, Swethani Mukwevho said being a musangwe fighter was his childhood dream.

Mukwevho spoke during Africa Day celebrations at the University of Limpopo last Monday, where there were activities such as musangwe fighting to celebrate the day.

Musangwe is a form of bare-knuckle boxing.

“Some people use muti to fight, but I use my own strength. I have never lost a fight since I started musangwe. It was just for entertainment at first, but it is now one of my favorite sports. My wish is to be a professional boxing in the near future,” said Mukwevho.

The premier, Stanley Mathabatha, said Africa Day was one of the most recognised days on the calendars of African countries and was celebrated for many years on the continent. “Colonialism and Apartheid are a thing of the past on the continent. So as we celebrate Africa Day, we must look back with appreciation at the pioneering role played by great African leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, emperor Haile Selassi, Julius Nyerere and Kenneth Kaunda,” said Mathabatha.

He said the recent xenophobic attacks were a real deterrent to Africa’s self discovery.

“My characterisation of these attacks is my shared understanding with president Jacob Zuma that South Africans are generally not xenophobic. The evidence of this is an all round condemnation of these attacks from millions of South Africans. I therefore call on all of us to work together to fight this monster that continues to rear its ugly head in our county. All of us have a responsibility to find practical and long-lasting solutions to this phenomenon. We must move fast to arrest this problem because Africa is nestling on a ticking-time bomb which will explode in our faces if we do not act fast and swiftly,” he said.