Uyibekile induku ebandla uMathebula
Bambalwa abantu ababenentshisekelo ngempi yaphesheya emqoka kaPeter “Terror” Mathebula, eyagcina isimenze undabamlonyeni kwazise waba usomankomane wokuqala omnyama eNingizimu Afrika ukunqoba isicoco somhlaba. Lokhu kuvezwe inkakha yomqeqeshi uNorman Hlabane obebhonga emswanini ngokudlula emhlabeni kwale nsizwa yaseMohlakeng eGoli. KwakunguZibandlela mhla zili-13 ngowe-1980 ngesikhathi uMathebula ebeka iNingizimu Afrika ebalazweni lomhlaba ephuca ngamaphuzu uTae Shik Kim waseSouth Korea isicoco seWBA Flyweight empini eyayise-Olympic Arena eLos Angeles e-USA. “Ukunqoba kukaTerror leliya bhande kwaba nedumela ezweni nase-Afrika yonkana kwazise wagila lo mhlola ngezikhathi ezinzima zobandlululo. Impumelelo yakhe yanika aboHlanga ithemba lokuthi noma ngabe izithiyo zikhona, kodwa uma uzimisela uyakwazi ukuphumelela. Baningi abashayisibhakela boHlanga abagqugquzeleka ngoba befuna ukuhamba ezinyathelweni zikaTerror,” kukhumbula uHlabane.
UHlabane, owakhiqiza osomankomane abanjengoNika Khumalo, uDingaan “Rose of Soweto” Thobela noLehlohono Ledwaba ejimini yakhe eJabavu eSoweto, uthe okwenza langabi bikho isasasa ngaphambi kwempi yase-USA ukuthi izwe lalikhungethwe ingcindezelo yobandlululo. Into eyayigqanyiswa kakhulu emithonjeni yabezindaba kwakungeyabelungu. “Ngikhumbula ukuthi zazimbili kuphela izintatheli ezamphelezela ngesikhathi eseyogibela ibhanoyi. Bathathu kuphela osomankomane ababedume ngokuthi bangompetha bomhlaba okwakungoWillie Smith, u-Arnold Taylor noVic Toweel,” kusho uHlabane. Echaza ngempi kaMathebula, uHlabane uthe wayenganikwe thuba kwazise uKim wayesatshiswa okwenyoka. Wayesegingqe amadoda ali-11 ezimpini ezili-16. Kodwa lo mlisa owayemude owayekhomozwa uWillie Lock wamdida ngamaqhinga imizuliswano yonke eli-15 amajaji ayinika yena ngokungananazi. UHlabane uthe okwenza uMathebula aphucwe kalula isicoco ukuthi wasuke walibala ubumnandi, wangaziqeqesha ngokwanele. Wahlulwa uSantos Bengino Lacia wase-Argentina ngomngqimuzo womcacamezelo womlalisa phansi emzuliswaneni wesikhombisa e-Orlando Stadium.
Ngaphambi kokunqoba isicoco seWBA wayeqale ngokunqoba awakuleli esisindweni iFlyweight neBantamweight. UThobela uthe ngesikhathi ekhula ezitaladini zaseChiawelo eSoweto wathola ukugqugquzeleka uma ezwa ngabantu abadala ngezimanga zikaMathebula. “Ngazibuza ukuthi uma ubaba uMathebula wayengakwazi ukugila izimanga ezihlalela elokishini, nami ngangingakwazi ukugila lezo zimanga” kusho uThobela, owanqoba amabhande eWBA, eWBO Lightweight neWBC Supermiddleweight.
UThobela ufanise uMathebula no-Elijah “Tap Tap” Makhathini, naye owalwa ngezikhathi zobandlululo. Wazinameka ezinhliziyweni zabantu abaningi ngokumuhluza izinkakha ezinjengoCurtis Cokes, u-Emile Griffiths, uJan Kies noCharlie Weir kanti waphatha ibhande likazwelonke kuMiddleweight. UMakhathini, osadla anhlavana, useke wahlonishwa ngokufakwa kwiSports Hall of Fame yakuleli wabuye waklonyeliswa nge- Order of Ikhamanga ehlonishwa owayenguMengameli uThabo Mbeki. Ngokwemibiko ebingakaqinisekiswa kulindeleke ukuthi uMathebula angcwatshwe eHeroes Acre ekuvamise ukufihlwa kuyo amaqhawe omzabalazo. Ezimpini ezingama-45, uMathebula wanqoba izimpi ezingama-36 kanti wahlulwa kayisi-9.= Ukushona kukaMathebula kushaye kwezwela nakuZandile Malinga ongumphathi weStarline Promotions esihambe elide ibanga ihlela izimpi ezindaweni zasemakhaya.
UZandile, ogane uXolani oyindodana yenkakha engasekho emhlabeni uMaxwell “Shaluza Max” Malinga waseMnambithi, uthe uMathebula waba ivulandlela kubantu abanjengoThulani “Sugarboy” Malinga nabo abathola ukugqugquzeleka njengoba bagcina ngokuqopha owabo umlando ngokubuya nebhande le- WBC phesheya. “Kumele intsha esizama ngawo wonke amandla ukuyitholela izimpi kule miqhudelwano esiyihlelayo ithole isifundo ngemisebenzi kababa uMathebula. Noma ngabe usuka endaweni engekho esimweni esihle kodwa uma uzimisela futhi uphokophele phambili, uyakwazi ukunqoba. Imisebenzi kababa uMathebula iyohlala ikhumbuleka,” kusho uZandile.
Phakathi kosomankomane abasuka e-East Rand lapho kuzalwa khona uMathebula kukhona noJan “Kid Gavilian” Bergman owake waphatha isicoco seWBU welterweight maphakathi neminyaka yama 2000. Yize uMathebula angeke asizwe isikhwama seBoxing South Africa (BSA) sokungcwaba osomankomane, kodwa kulindeleke ukuthi uhulumeni afake isandla kwazise waliphakamisa igama lezwe. Ushone esedliwa usizi njengoba kuthiwa amabhande awanqobayo nezinto ayedlala ngazo wagcine esephoqeleka ukuthi azidayise ukuze akwazi ukuxosha ikati eziko. Izolo kuvele ukuthi nonkosikazi wakhe u-Emma ushonile ngemuva kokuquleka.
