Written By: Chief. Kagisho Molema    

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer” – Albert Camus

It is so amazing how boxing terminology permeates our everyday lives. It was not until I started frequenting the temple of pain, AKA Swellendam Boxing Gym, that these phrases took on a new meaning. “Don’t throw in the towel.” One might be heard encouraging a friend. What does this phrase mean? It means when you are getting walloped in the ring, your coach can throw in the towel to give up the fight. ,“Roll with the punches.” This one is a piece of advice a mentor might offer you, but what does it mean? This phrase means when the punches come, you must move and roll your body accordingly to avoid getting hit, and if you do get hit, do not stop but continue moving. You might even hear someone say,“I was caught flat footed.” Boxers must always be slightly on their toes for easy mobility so they can spring away from danger or move in quickly when needed. When your foot is flat on the ground, that one second of lifting it up can be detrimental. Even the famous phrase by the master teacher Yeshua,“turn the other cheek” does not necessarily mean to offer your cheek for more assaulting. It means if someone strikes you by surprise, anticipate the next strike and turn your head just in time for your adversary to miss hitting you. Boxing is such a metaphor for life. Can you think of other boxing metaphors? Please do leave a comment.

I had the pleasure to speak to the gladiators of Swellendam Boxing Gym to find out some life lessons we can glean from martial arts, since we like to use the lingo so much.

“Swellendam Boxing Gym is a second home to a variety of individuals from different walks of life” notes Dewald Malan, the head coach and accidental owner of the gym. Dewald hesitates to be called the owner of the gym because of the collective effort it takes to run a boxing gym. “I am only the lease holder” he insists. “It is the never-ending efforts of the sponsors and the other coaches who keep the lights on at the gym”. Dewald had no intentions of starting a gym. He was thrown into the deep-end by circumstances. He was training for a while with Mark Conrad who owned Entheos Boxing Academy, before Mark was pulled away from the boxing academy by personal responsibilities and had to close. This became an imposed opportunity for Dewald to step up to the plate to ensure the continuance of boxing in Swellendam. At first it was 10 people, then 15, and now Swellendam Boxing Gym has more than 60 members. As the gym grows, the challenge is to find a bigger venue that can accommodate a boxing ring, and an MMA cage. MMA is mixed martial arts, just in case.

Dewald started his boxing journey after high school in Nigel in Gauteng. He was training with SA heavyweight Anton Nel before moving to Cape Town, and later ended up in Swellendam. What keeps Dewald going is the transformation he sees when people enter the gym with low confidence and stressed shoulders, to transforming into active and highly capable beings, and seeing the confidence spill over into other parts of their lives. The gym caters for, and is super beneficial, for adults and children alike. The kids tend to do better in academics, they might try out other sporting codes too, they might even become more thoughtful at home with their parents and siblings. For many adults, boxing is a coping mechanism, and a wonderful family to belong to. We bless Dewald for his leadership and ensuring boxing is a part of Swellendam. In his professional life, Dewald is a Draughtsman at Alpha Engineering here in Swellendam.

One of the gym success stories is that of Gordon Khumaza. Gordon Khumaza is a fulltime coach at Swellendam Boxing Gym. He and his mates in Railton were doing backflips on a mattress until one of the boys suggested they go check out a boxing place in town. Off they went to see this place, just out of curiosity and boyish naughtiness. The coaches there took them in, and held them accountable. This is how Gordon joined Entheos Boxing Academy, he was still in high school. They practised there until the Boxing Academy closed, and Dewald recruited Gordon to become a fulltime coach at the Boxing Gym. Little did he know that he had found his tribe and his transformation from boy to man had just begun. Even though the gym is a temple of pain, Gordon keeps going because of the love he feels at the gym, and who he is becoming in the process. He says that the coaches had created such a nurturing environment that kept the young boys coming back. The love he received at the gym was different from the one he received at home. He speaks of how at home the parents showed their love, but at the gym it was different in that the coaches verbalized the love and affirmed them. The coaches took keen interest in what was going on in their young lives, and were interested in their general wellbeing and not only teaching them boxing. This reminded me of the story of Mike Tyson and how he found love in his mentor Cus d’ Amato. Mike could go to the ends of the world for his coach, all because of the love Cus showed him. Boxing is a vehicle to other real-life matters. When I ask coach Dewald whether he created that sort of positive environment on purpose, he tells me that it is a natural process really. Yes at other gyms you can be in your own world wearing headsets, but with boxing it is a community sport. Everybody instantly gets that and follows suit. It is not a written rule. In fact you would think that the boxing world is a macho environment full of testosterone and fragile male egos. On the contrary, there are many ladies who are finding their inner strength at the boxing gym. In fact, one of the gladiators I wanted to interview is an inspirational 17-year-old young lady by the name of Zanri Odendal, who had won one of her last fights against an intimidating and older opponent in Cape Town but, due to time constraints I could not. I would have also loved to talk to Rasta Manevil, one of the Boxers at the Swellendam Boxing Gym who is quietly making strides with over 20 fights in his bag so far. Great work, we see you guys.

Gordon Khumaza continues to thrive as a fulltime coach although coaching is not his main goal. Gordon aspires to be a professional fighter, and he is busy racking up amateur fights before he can be registered as an International Boxing Federation Pro. To get to the pro level, you must have much experience in the amateur leagues before you get tested by the boxing body to see whether you have the necessary skills to be a pugilist. It’s a long and rugged road to the pros but Gordon is committed to the cause. It is not always easy for him, as the fights require him to travel longish distances, but it is his determination that is going to make him the first Boxing Pro to come out of Swellendam. We feel honoured to train under this champion.

One of Gordon’s future ambitions is to open a boxing academy for the kids in the small-town Hertzogville in the Free State where his mother hails. Because it’s the kind of place where you must move out to have access to opportunities. I say that every town in South Africa should have a boxing gym. I say communities would benefit from having disciplined young men and women. Boxing is not at all about violence like some would perceive, but you punch and get punched so much whilst training at the gym that your mind knows how to control yourself when you come across a situation on the streets.

Coach Reginald Lotz is another one from Entheos Boxing Academy. Before he found boxing he was a kid going off the rails. Boxing is the thing that took him off the terrible path he was cruising on and gave him a new direction. He says when he was a boy, he would pick fights and had what seemed like anger problems. He was a troublesome child ready to fight at a drop of a hat. Boxing did a total reverse on him.
When I ask him if he has any goals in boxing, he says he is doing it purely for the love. Regi possesses the skills to become a pro boxer, but the lack of finances and exposure in Swellendam delayed that dream. He is content with where he is, and the thing that motivates him is all the things he does not want to be. For one, he does not want to be out of shape with a big belly. By the way, you will acquire a six-pack coming to this gym because of all the core training they are doing. Two, he does not want avoidable physical and mental health problems as he gets older. Regi’s work is also physically demanding as a firefighter, it requires a high level of fitness. Hence the fitness classes at this gym are rather life changing. From an emotional perspective, boxing is helping Regi process the things he is reticent to face. “All the toughest battles are in the mind so you constantly must motivate yourself” Reginald quips. The constant overcoming that happens at the gym gives you a scent that your loved ones, and even your dog, can smell. It is at this point I am confused thinking he is talking about a natural scent, but he is talking about the aura of positivity that emanates from you as a person who is pushing himself. Regi laughs during the interview, when he becomes honest and says he does not really love the pain and the training schedules, but he chooses to rise above that. Boxing has helped him find a home within himself and at this point he is just happy to be here at a place where he has found his eternal summer. No outside winter can ever take his invincible summer inside of him. The boxing gladiators are always keen to offer a smile, and a hand to others.

Swellendam Boxing Gym offers a variety of classes to suit every fitness level, from high-energy boxing, strength training, to technique-focused conditioning and other fitness trends. The gym caters to everyone from semi-pros, amateurs, kids from 8 years old, and people walking off the streets. There is a minimal membership fee to be paid monthly, with Dewald emphasising that he can never turn back anyone who wants to use boxing to improve his life. Whatever reason that brings you to the gym, it is here that you will discover your inner strength. That invincible summer we all need! They all conclude in their own ways to say that you will not see results immediately after one session, but it is the ability to enjoy delayed gratification that keeps everyone in check. Such a simplistic and yet vital value that we all need in today’s life.

Despite the growth of the gym, high rental costs threaten the existence of the gym. Unfortunately, the gym has lost one of its main sponsors who died recently, Mr Johan van den Berg. As the gym grows, possibilities are high that it will start producing pros and truly become a force for social change. At the Swellendam Boxing Gym, your skin colour matters not, there is no room for superiority and inferiority, it is about boxing and that is that.

As businesses in Swellendam, you might want to attach your brand with the gym before Swellendam Boxing Gym rises to the top of the boxing world. For those of you who are being bothered by the troublesome street boys begging at your businesses, please consider sponsoring their lessons in boxing which will keep them busy, empowered, and away from your patrons, a win-win situation for all. For more info please contact Coach Dewald on 073 355 6241.

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