MIDDELBURG — Middelburg is set to host the launch of the Steve Tshwete Boxing League on 21 November 2026, with Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie expected to officially launch the national initiative aimed at developing amateur and professional boxing.
The launch will take place at the Steve Tshwete Banquet Hall after the venue was moved from East London to Middelburg.
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has allocated R9 million to the project, with R1 million earmarked for elimination rounds in each of the nine provinces.
The competition is expected to feature 48 professional boxers and 54 amateur boxers affiliated with the South African National Amateur Boxing Organisation (SANABO).
McKenzie first announced the initiative during the National Boxing Convention held at the International Convention Centre in East London on 20 and 21 February 2025.
The league aims to strengthen boxing development in South Africa by providing young boxers from villages and townships with access to organised, funded competitions and opportunities to compete at national level.
The initiative also honours the legacy of Steve Vukhile Tshwete, South Africa's first democratic Minister of Sport and Recreation, who died on 26 April 2002 at the age of 63.
Former boxer and Boxing South Africa (BSA) Mpumalanga Provincial Manager Oupa Lubisi said he persuaded the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to move the launch to Middelburg.
“We engaged the department and made a strong case for why the launch must be held here. Steve Tshwete played a huge role in sport in this country, and hosting it here honours the legacy he left,” Lubisi told the Highveld Chronicle.
The programme will begin with weigh-ins on 20 November, followed by fights on 21 November and the Last 16 stage on 22 November in Middelburg.
The quarter-finals are scheduled to take place in Durban on 23 December 2026, while the semi-finals will be held in Gauteng early in 2027.
The finals are scheduled for the Orient Theatre in East London in March 2027.
