The former female professional boxing referee and judge, Ms Thifhelimbilu Emily Tshiruma, is going to take a step further into the boxing world by promoting her very first boxing tournament, to be held at the Thohoyandou Town Hall on Boxing Day (26 December) this year.
Tshiruma, a scientist who is now pursuing a PhD as nutritionist, is the founder and manager of Mulondoli LC Boxing Promotion. She is also the owner of Mulondoli Lifestyle Centre which is situated at Eastgate Centre in Thohoyandou.
She says she fell in love with boxing in 1994 when the government permitted women to participate in boxing as a sport, although they were not allowed to fight yet. "I wanted to be a boxer since I was very young, but could not because we were not allowed as women. But because there were no gyms and training facilities for boxing, I ended up doing courses in boxing officiating, and also trained as a boxing judge, where we learnt about things like boxing rules and awarding points to boxers during fights," she said.
Tshiruma also sponsored football in the Vhembe District at one point and rubbed shoulders with local football administrators for a very long time. "As a boxing referee, I did a lot in the amateur ranks and was in the middle of the ring when greats like Phillip Ndou, Cassius Baloyi and others were still in the amateur ranks," she said.
She was one of the judges when Raider Muleba fought at Meropa Casino in September last year. She has, however, decided to retire as a boxing judge recently. "I am taking another step towards boxing promotion to help in developing professional boxing in our region," she said.