Former boxer stages awards to revive sport and honour Komani’s past
Komani will host its first organised community sports awards this weekend when former Cape bantamweight champion Xolani “Ali” Kemka presents the Komani Community Sports Awards at the Skweyiya Community Hall. The event, put together by Kemka’s Imbumba Yekhaya Arts Project, aims to recognise people who shaped the town’s sporting life and to encourage young people to engage in sport instead of idling on the streets.
Kemka, who grew up between Mdantsane and Komani and turned professional in 1982, said sport offered young people structure and opportunity. He now manages the interests of several boxers, including WBO/All Africa Female Flyweight champion Sibulele “Lova” Soboois and SA female Junior Featherweight champion Ntombokuqala Tolashe, and is using the awards as a way to acknowledge local contributors.
“The awards are my way of saying ‘thank you’ to the sporting legends and the codes that helped establish Komani as a sporting town,” Kemka said.
The ceremony will acknowledge individuals from three codes Kemka followed closely while growing up: boxing, netball and rugby. Several of those to be honoured are deceased, and Kemka has framed the event as both commemoration and a bid to restore active participation in community sport.
Honourees reflect Komani’s sporting depth
Names listed for recognition show the breadth of Komani’s contribution to provincial sport. In netball, Kemka plans to honour players such as Nomalungelo Gwaza-Vazi, Thoko Mabutho, Phumla Ndabambi, Liziwe Vondo, Nonkosi Tolashe and Andiswa Mahola. The rugby roll call includes men who represented several local clubs across generations.
| Code | Selected names |
|---|---|
| Netball | Nomalungelo Gwaza-Vazi, Thoko Mabutho, Phumla Ndabambi, Liziwe Vondo, Nonkosi Tolashe, Andiswa Mahola |
| Rugby | Breakers RFC: Mxolisi Ndonga, Vuyo Mbebe, Ntsikelelo Tseke; Shining Stars RFC: Selby Meleni, Stoto Ndoyiya; Rose RFC: Fezile Nokonya, Monde Makeleni, Mcedisi Bilose; Hamilton RFC: Brian Hobo, Zimele Mbambo, Tinato July |
| Boxing | Organiser: Xolani “Ali” Kemka (former Cape bantamweight champion); managers include current boxers he represents |
The list underlines Komani’s sporting culture across club structures — a feature that community leaders and former players say helped keep generations of youth engaged. Kemka’s awards intentionally span those generations, with tributes to stalwarts who are no longer alive as well as living contributors.
Community outcomes and local context
The awards are explicitly tied to a wider social objective: using sport to offer alternatives to crime and substance misuse. Kemka told organisers he had witnessed how sport can channel youthful energy and provide mentorship. By highlighting role models and formally recognising their contributions, the event aims to re-energise local clubs and attract young people back into organised activity.
- Venue: Skweyiya Community Hall, Komani
- Purpose: Honour former and current contributors to boxing, netball, rugby and encourage youth participation
- Organiser: Imbumba Yekhaya Arts Project, led by Xolani Kemka
Local sports administrators and ward representatives have not provided official comment to the reporting that outlined the awards but past community sport programmes in Komani have depended heavily on volunteer coaches and limited municipal support. If this awards initiative translates into renewed club activity, it will test whether local structures can absorb and sustain increased youth involvement.
The Komani Community Sports Awards will be held on Saturday at the Skweyiya Community Hall. The ceremony is both a celebration of individuals who contributed to the town’s sporting identity and an appeal to the next generation to find purpose through sport.
