Owayesakuba yinjinga yehlabathi kwezamanqindi uDingaan the “Rose of Soweto” Thobela ulishiyile eli limagad’ ahlabayo.
UDingaan ufunyenwe sele ebhubhile endlini yakhe.
UDingaan obeneminyaka engamashumi amahlanu anesixhenxe (57) ubudala kuvakala iingxelo zokuba besekulithuba elide elele ngandletyana egula, oku kungqinwe ngumhlobo wakhe wasekukhuleni bese ngabantwana, uEddie Mutungutungu.
Abathandi, abalandeli nabaxhasi bakaThobela bayakumkhumbula ngethuba esilwa nembethi manqindi yaphesheya izihlandlo ezimbini (2) uTony Lopez. UDingaan Thobela ube yinjinga yehlabathi kwezamanqindi izihlandlo ezintathu (3) kwiintshinga namabhanti ohlukeneyo.
Le mbethi manqindi izenzele igama emanqindini eMzantsi Afrika jikelele ngendlela ebesilwa ngayo nangento yokuba ebengafane abethwe eqongeni lezamanqindi abanye abalandeli bebesele bembiza Rose of South Afrika ngesizathu sokuba ebesele elithemba loMzantsi Afrika.
Ngenxa yempilo enkenenkene uThobela khange akwazi ukuzimasa umcimbi wezamanqindi nobubanjelwe eArena Holdings eParktown ngolwesihlanu umhla wamashumi amabini anesithandathu (26) kule imiyo inyanga.
URose wayeyinjinga yehlabathi phantsi kwemibutho eyohlukeneyo eyiWorld Boxing Association neyiWorld Boxing Organisation eqeqshwa nguNorman Hlabane.
Kodwa uye wenyuka waya kudidi olungaphezulu ngokuya ekhula, nalapho uDingaan uye wenza ezibukwayo wabuya nodumo esiza nebhanti elikumgangatho ophezulu kakhulu ngeloxesha iWBC (World Boxing Coporation) nalapho waphumelela ngokunqumamisa owayesakuba yinjinga uGlen Catley, apho kwakulwelwa eBrakpan kwidolophu iCarnival, umqeqeshi uElias Tshabalala kwikona kaDingaan, ngoko kwakungonyaka ka2000 ngenyanga yoMsintsi.
Le mbethi manqindi ifunyenwe kwigumbi layo izolo umhla wamashumi amabini anethoba kule imiyo inyanga uTshazimpuzi eMayfair eMshishi kwaNyama ayipheli sele engasathethi engaphefumli.
UThobela ushiya abantwana bakhe ababini uDingaan Thobela Junior noNtombi nomfazi wakhe ebebesele bohlukana. UDingaan ebesele ethandwa zintlanga zonke kweli lizwe loMzantsi Afrika, wonke uMzantsi Afrika ubusima ngxi xa kuphumelele uDingaan, ubunomfanisa nqwa namabhokobhoko xa ephumelele indebe yehlabathi kumboxo kodwa yena ebenochatha kuba noba ulwa umlo onjani bekubhiyozwa ngabantu bemvuyela.
Ukhumbule ukuba kwiveki ezimbini ezidlulileyo owayesakuba yinjinga yoMzantsi Afrika kwezamanqindi uJoseph Makaringe uye naye walandulela eli emva kwengulo nje engephi njengokuba ngoku sele uMzantsi Afrika ulilela uDingaan Thobela, igqabi laseSoweto nebelikhazimla kakuhle emanqindini.
Abanye abathandi bamanqindi bayakumkhumbula uDingaan ngethuba lemilo yakhe emibini nalapho wayenyathelana noTony “The Tiger Lopez” waseMelika nabathi baqubisana isihlandlo zade zambini kwimilo yentshinga yehlabathi kwiminyaka engamashumi amathathu nanye eyadlulayo.
Kumlo wokuqala yezimbethi manqindi zimbini abalandeli bakaThobela babekholelwa ukuba uDingaan waqhathwa emini ilanga lihlabe umhlaba kumlo wokuqala nowawubanjelwe kwelaseMelika eArca, kwidolophu iSacremento ngonyaka ka1993 ngenyanga yoMdumba ngomhla weshumi elinesibini nalapho abagwebi bobathathu banika uLopez amanqaku.
Ukhumbule ukuba uTony nowayeyikhusela okuqala intshinga yakhe yehlabathi yeWBC emva kokuba wayithatha kuJoel Gamache kwiinyanga nje ezine phambi kokuba ayikhusele okokuqala kuDingaan.
Kwakunyaka ka1993 ngomhla wamashumi amabini anesithandathu kwinyanga yeSilimela uTony “Tiger” Lopez kwanyanzeleka ukuba aze eMzantsi Afrika azokukhusela intshinga yakhe yehlabathi isihlandlo sesibini.
Lomlo wesibini wabanjelwa eSun City kwiphandle laseBophuthatswana ngeloxesha nelaziwa ngephondo iMntla Ntshona xa kungoku njena.
Kweli ityeli lesibini uDingaan waqiniseka ukuba uyazibuyisa izitya kwesi isihlandlo nalapho bonke abagwebi banika umceli mngeni amanqaku bevumelana ngamxhelo mnye ukuba ngenene uDingaan Thobela yinjinga entsha yehlabathi phambi kwabalandeli bakhe nababephume ngobuninzi ukuya kuzibonela ngamehlo enyama xa iqhawe labo lisenza izinto zamehlo.
UThobela ngelothuba imilo yakhe yayingamashumi amathathu (30) engazange adlale ntanganye nakowuphi na umlo ebethwe kuphela izihlandlo ezimbini. ULopez yena wayenemilo engamashumi amane anesithathu (43) edlale ngokulingana imilo emithathu (3) waze wabethwa amatyeli amabini (2).
