Professional boxing excludes women
The outdated Namibian Boxing and Wrestling Control Act of 1980 does not allow female boxers to fight professionally.
The Namibian Boxing and Wrestling Control Act was submitted to the attorney-general's office for review and amendment, Hendrik Mapele, acting administrator of the Namibia Boxing Control Board (NPBWCB), said after numerous complaints from boxing enthusiasts.
The Act states that no woman may take part in any tournament as a boxer or a wrestler and that no person shall hold or assist in holding any tournament in which any woman takes part as a boxer or wrestler.
It further states that negotiating with any woman in a bid to procure her services as a boxer or wrestler at any tournament is illegal. This is stated in section 13(1) of the Boxing Act. Mapele said that aspiring female boxers can only be allowed to take part in amateur competitions and not as professionals.
However, even on amateur level female boxers hardly feature, even though the International Boxing Association (AIBA) instructed member countries to have female boxers at amateur boxing events.
The sports administrator also said that it will take time for changes to happen as all possible implications need to be reviewed. He urged women who want to fight professionally to register for a licence from neighbouring Botswana or Zimbabwe and still compete as a Namibian.
But in doing so he explained that boxers should know that they cannot just become professionals overnight and need to start at amateur level in order to work themselves up.
He also added that it is up to local boxing promoters whether they want to accommodate female boxers in their boxing academies in order for them to grow as professionals. Mapele also stated that there is only one boxing federation which caters for the needs of both men and women and the law does not allow separate federations catering for males and females, as that will bring division.
At the moment Mangulukeni Hamata and Martina 'Marney' Shenxane are among the local female boxers who continue to train despite the fact that they receive no match time locally.
“Shenxane said that she has not managed to register yet but has plans to do so in the future.
I will welcome any trainer who wants to take me up and to coach me,” she said.
LIMBA MUPETAMI
The Act states that no woman may take part in any tournament as a boxer or a wrestler and that no person shall hold or assist in holding any tournament in which any woman takes part as a boxer or wrestler.
It further states that negotiating with any woman in a bid to procure her services as a boxer or wrestler at any tournament is illegal. This is stated in section 13(1) of the Boxing Act. Mapele said that aspiring female boxers can only be allowed to take part in amateur competitions and not as professionals.
However, even on amateur level female boxers hardly feature, even though the International Boxing Association (AIBA) instructed member countries to have female boxers at amateur boxing events.
The sports administrator also said that it will take time for changes to happen as all possible implications need to be reviewed. He urged women who want to fight professionally to register for a licence from neighbouring Botswana or Zimbabwe and still compete as a Namibian.
But in doing so he explained that boxers should know that they cannot just become professionals overnight and need to start at amateur level in order to work themselves up.
He also added that it is up to local boxing promoters whether they want to accommodate female boxers in their boxing academies in order for them to grow as professionals. Mapele also stated that there is only one boxing federation which caters for the needs of both men and women and the law does not allow separate federations catering for males and females, as that will bring division.
At the moment Mangulukeni Hamata and Martina 'Marney' Shenxane are among the local female boxers who continue to train despite the fact that they receive no match time locally.
“Shenxane said that she has not managed to register yet but has plans to do so in the future.
I will welcome any trainer who wants to take me up and to coach me,” she said.
LIMBA MUPETAMI
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Namibian Sun
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