Dingaan ‘Rose of Soweto’ Thobela dies at 57

South African boxer and two-time world Super Middleweight champion Dingaan Thobela was found dead in his residence according to South Africa’s minister of Sport, Art, and Culture, Zizi Kodwa.

Thobela’s childhood friend Eddie Mutungutungu said the champ, known as “The Rose of Soweto,” was found in his Johannesburg apartment after attempts to contact him failed. “He was strangely unavailable on his mobile, and his family, accompanied by police, managed to gain access to his place of residence and found he had passed on.”

Thobela won the WBO and WBA lightweight world titles in 1990 and 1993 respectively. Moving up to super middleweight, he stopped Britain’s Glenn Catley in the 12th round to win the WBC world title in 2000.

Rising through the world ranks as South Africa moved out of the apartheid era, Thobela finished his career at 40-14-2 with 26 knockouts, and was widely celebrated in his country and today South Africans are pouring out their condolences to his family. His death comes just two days after South Africa marked 30 years since the dismantling of the apartheid regime.

Sports minister Kodwa said, “As we celebrate 30 years of South African democracy, we mourn the loss of an athlete who did so much to elevate South African sport through his success in boxing. We also celebrate a champion boxer who inspired the nation, future boxers and champions from Soweto, Mdantsane, Thohoyandou and other parts of the country.”

No cause of death has yet been announced. All of the staff here at Diario AS would like to express our deepest condolences to the family of Thobela and the entire nation of South Africa.