Prosthetic leg for boxers’ mom

A passionate plea by the Tete boxing brothers for a good Samaritan to help buy their mother a prosthetic leg has been answered.

This after promoter Ayanda Matiti started the initiative to set up a Trust Fund to raise funds to buy the leg for Nomonde Tete, mother of boxing siblings Zolani and Makazole.

Matiti announced that 50% of the proceeds from the gate takings of his tournament a fortnight ago would go towards raising funds for the leg.

And this week he made good on the promise when he donated more than R32 000 to the fund.

Accompanied by his mother Nowandile as well as his sister and assistant, Sibongile, Matiti said he felt he should take the initiative towards fulfilling the wishes of the boxing brothers.

“As you know that I am a promoter of Makazole I felt I should do something about answering his plea further more because I am also related to this family,” he said.

Nomonde who lost her leg through diabetes was overwhelmed as she burst into tears unable to speak for a while.

Eventually she expressed her gratitude saying she did not even know Matiti besides him being constantly mentioned by his sons as a boxing person.

“I kept hearing about this Matiti but I had never seen him,” she said tears streaming down her face.

“I even asked my husband to introduce me to him and the other day he came to greet me and when he had gone my husband said that was him.”

She related her struggle of being unable to do household chores and had to quit her job due to diabetes.

“The worse part is when I have to go to the toilet with these kids. It is better when you stay with females but to be taken care of by males is hard for a female,” she said.

Zolani made the plea for people to help his mother in England shortly after knocking out English challenger Paul Butler to retain his IBF world junior bantamweight crown in March.

By taking the first step, Matiti said he hoped others would follow suit and donate in the fund.

“I am sure there are many people who want to help out there but they do not know how to go about doing it.

“I must also thank boxing fans who attended my tournament which ended up being able to come up with this amount.”

Tete’s father Zolile who lost his job and decided to join the technical team of his sons, was at a loss for words with the gesture.

“We even struggled to go to church because I had to wheel her over a long distance,” he said.

“I have no words to describe what you have done.”

It is the umpteenth time Matiti has donated funds towards a destitute boxing-related incident.

In 2009 he donated funds to the former boxer Simpiwe Mfaniso who quit boxing after he was injured in the ring after which he spent a considerable period in hospital.

This even though Matiti never had any relationship with Mfaniso who is now partially blind.

Matiti also organised a gala dinner for former world champions Vuyani Bungu and Welcome Ncita in appreciation of the roles they had played to popularise boxing in the area.

“The political party I belong to preaches that someone must give back to the community and as a boxing man I felt I should do so in the sport,” he said.

Matiti also set up a bursary fund for under-privileged kids in the area and the recipients are currently studying towards their dream qualifications.