The Rose of Soweto Celebrated at Launch of Boxer’s Bio

November 26th, 2009 by Tracey

It was a gala affair as guests gathered at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg on Tuesday, for the launch of Rose of Soweto, the biography of boxer Dingaan Thobela. Held at the Palace’s night club venue, 64 @ The Palace, boxing fans, book lovers and sportsmen mingled among the tables and filled out the VIP area.

Edem Foli from Penguin Books introduced the night’s programme with author, Deon Potgieter first at the mic. Potgieter told why he wrote the book, saying, “There is only one ‘Rose of Soweto’. … When you go into [Thobela’s] story and you see where he came from, all the challenges he had, he always maintained a positive attitude and went forward.”

Potgieter continued, “The book is not just for sports fans. It is a book about a man, about his story. The message in the book is no matter what circumstances you are born into, no matter what challenges you face or obstacles are put in front of you, if you believe and you hold onto your dream and you remain true, you can succeed. The other message is that good guys can also win”.

Sports promoter Thinus Strydom then spoke about the privilege of working with Thobela, calling him “one of the best boxers ever produced” in South Africa, and ranking as “one of the best in the world”. Strydom called Thobela a role model: “he has lived his life with honour, integrity and passion”.

Next up was the rose himself, Dingaan Thobela. He thanked Strydom for giving him a chance to prove himself. He spoke about the importance of his WBC title and what it meant to him, and how he had “opened up” his heart to Potgieter for the book. He finished by saying that if the book was a good read to him, with a “Bantu Education”, it “means it’s good” – period!

Boxing SA’s Dr Peter Ngatane stepped up to the podium and shared his thoughts on how we write the pages of our lives day-to-day. He called Dingaan Thobela “one of the best loved boxers in South Africa”, and surprised Thobela with a certificate from the WBC President.

Junior Motsei brought the house down with his address, which included his powerful and infectious belly laugh. A proliferation of alliteration and humour peppered his captivating speech including this gem, “… a pinpoint excellent puncher with picture-perfect precision”.
After the speeches, guests lined up for a once-in-a-lifetime book signing opportunity with both writer and subject.

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