PROMINENT Walmer boxing figure, Zimisele Sydney Hempe, says that boxing has remained his favourite sport from childhood to adulthood.
The 57-year-old Hempe, who was born in Grahamstown, is also involved in other sport like football, as well as community-based structures and political movements.
He competed as a boxer from 1976 to 1984, when he lived in Uitenhage.
He initially fought in the junior flyweight division and then graduated to the flyweight division.
As the time went on, Hempe decided to focus on training and managing other boxers.
Despite the challenges that he was faced with, from 1991 Hempe helped develop a number of professional boxers from Walmer Township.
Some of the professional boxers that he developed included light heavyweight Mzuvukile Mpambani in 1991, middleweight Thembisile Ntantiso, junior featherweight Tsitsi Sokutu in 1992, junior lightweight Mandla Danster in 1993, and the three boxers in 1994: bantamweight Ntobeko Lukwe, strawweight Ndumiso Yona and Dan Katu.
“It was not easy to develop the boxers in Walmer after this kind of sport ended in the late 1970s. I noticed that young boxing talent was in abundance. I identified a lot of talent. I dug deep into my pockets i for boxing to take its place,” said Hempe.
“The boxers that I trained were dedicated, disciplined and focused. That is why I produced so many professional boxers from our club. Tsitsi Sokutu left me after he had an unbeaten record of 12 professional fights. He only drew with Mzukisi Oliphant at Great Centenary Hall, now known as Nangoza Jebe Hall.”
Apart from being a trainer and a manager, Hempe served as an Eastern Cape Amateur Boxing Organisation (ECABO) public representative officer and represented the boxing managers’ committee as the chairperson.
He also served as matchmaker under Gladys Noforty Tsenene, Monde Ndlaleni and Headman Dyonashe.
