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Lovemore Dube, [email protected] 

FORMER Southern Rhodesia inter-cities bantam and featherweight boxing champion, Enock Mlauzi, has spoken highly of the old club system.

A veteran of 75 wins in the ring at a time amateur boxers graduated to the professional ranks, Mlauzi says the Bulawayo youth club system promoted sports development in the city.

He also added that it helped raise a morally upright generation.

Youths, he said, were spoilt for choice on what to do after school as the city council youth centres offered several opportunities from basketball to football, athletics, tennis, boxing, weight and power-lifting, chess, ballroom dancing and swimming.

Mlauzi at the age of 11 found himself specialising in boxing at the behest of youth leaders who appeared to have seen potential in him.

“I was born on June 25, 1945 in Bulawayo at the Cold Storage Township because that is where my father used to work. I went to school when I was a bit grown up and did my Sub A and Sub B at the Cold Storage School. I then changed schools for my Standard One at a school that was in Number 5 Township (Sidojiwe).

“Number 5 used to be the township that is opposite Sizinda, near Delta Corporation, before Sizinda was built. My father then left CSC and joined Castle Breweries that also had Schweppes Orange,” said Mlauzi.

His sporting life got a lift when they moved to Njube in 1954 and they were among the first inhabitants of the suburb when there were four lines of houses on A and G Square.

“We moved to Njube, which was called West Commonage Number 3 during that time. The township of Njube was inaugurated by Nell Noberts who had built four residential house lines, two in G and two on A Square at the bus stop in October 1954. For my Standard Two I went to a school that was in the hall at Number Two (Mabuthweni). In 1956, I changed schools again and went to Mtshede,” said Mlauzi.

He said it was the time he joined a club in Mabuthweni where he met two white men who became his coaches.

“They became fond of me and made me specialise in boxing. I liked swimming though but in no time I was knocking out people. I became a champion and in 1958 I was in the team going around Bulawayo and other towns for bouts.”

He said boxing became so popular that halls and arenas were full whenever there were tournaments. His first fight was in 1956, the year the Boxing Act, living out women, was enacted.

Mlauzi spoke highly of the club system that existed, which he said was good for youths as they were kept busy and far away from pre-marital sex and drug and substance abuse.

He said every township had a youth club where they were taught life skills and always occupied.

For him, this is where he got a chance to box and win over 70 fights.

“The club started with 10 boys and some of the names of the guys I started training boxing with were Musolina who went on to excel and went overseas through boxing, Dereck Sibiya, Benjamin Ndlovu and Malisa Maseko, among others,” said Mlauzi.

Fighting as an amateur, Mlauzi says he does not remember losing any fight.

“I retired in 1968 having developed a cancer-like wound after winning 75 fights. Yes, I remember vividly because I used to count. Back then, we had regular fights and at times we would go on circuits and fight in Bulawayo, Gweru, Kwekwe, Kadoma, Harare and Mutare. I won those legs and was declared Southern Rhodesia champion,” said Mlauzi, who admired Sugar Ray Leonard’s craft and sportsmanship.

He said his generation was lucky to get a blanket, mealie-meal or a pound for their sweat.

He said the club system could help revive sports and create a drug and substance-abuse-free generation.

“We trained hard and fought hard. We had discipline, we were not bothered by what we were paid with. We wanted to fight and prove ourselves in the ring. Remuneration was not key to us but getting an opportunity to fight and be with other boys was good,” said Mlauzi.

He said segregation existed, with blacks fighting among themselves in a sport controlled by whites.

Mlauzi has not been involved in the sport in the last 40 years and says what disappoints him the most is that nobody has ever bothered to trace the old generation.

“When I quit boxing, the likes of Phillip Striker and Bright Spider were rising. I was ahead of Kid Power, Ringo Starr and Jake Schoolboy,” said Mlauzi, who still has a good memory of how Bulawayo developed into what it is today.