The Vhembe Traditional Entertainment Organisation has announced that bare-knuckle fights (musangwe) will resume in December at the Makonde grounds.
A well-organised meeting was held at Makonde on Thursday (1 December) to discuss the programme.
According to the chairperson of the organisation, Mr Peter Ramarada, this year's tournament will be held at different venues. "We are starting here at Makonde and [will then] proceed to Tshifudi, but we will see as we go on if we will also utilise other available venues. The tournament will be held every Thursday and Saturday, starting 8 December to 7 January next year," he said.
During the deliberations, everyone agreed that women would not be allowed to participate in this tournament. One of the most decorated bare-knuckle fighters of all time, Abraham "General" Radali, said that musangwe had never been meant to be a woman's sport. "This is a man's sport, where real and strong men are separated from weaklings (mihota). Women are not even welcome to attend, let alone participate," he said.
The vice-chairperson of the organisation, Mr Fhatuwani Nethononda, said no age limit existed in this sport. "Boys as young as six years can participate, as long as they fight against their own age group. Even men over 70 who feel they can still fight are allowed to test their strength against other men," he said.