SOUTH AFRICA: Pugilists in rural South Africa use their fists to ring in the New Year

Hundreds of South Africans turned up for the annual Venda fist fighting tournament held in the remote village of Gaba-Tshaulu, in the northern Limpopo province. The tournament involves contenders beating each other up severely in front of a frenzied crowd. The winner of a fight may stay on the dusty arena to face a new challenger or quit early and retire in glory. Those who loose simply walk away from the fight. This year's event, saw hundreds of men engaged in bare-knuckled amateur fights conducted over several weeks. The competition, is run by local community leaders and ends with the final knockout rounds, just before the start of the new year. The blood sport, began in the 1800s, among young bored farmhands in the Venda community and today, draws scores of spectators who often walk miles to cheer their favourites in the searing summer sun. There are no trophies or money prizes for the contestants but some of them say its fun and that it earns them respect among their peers. Its why 37 year old Abraham Rabati took part and proudly showed off a swollen lip -- after receiving several blows from an opponent. "In this fight you get nothing. This sport does not pay. It is just for play - bleeding is not a problem because it is a Venda traditional sport," said Rabadi as he sauntered off to face off with his next opponent. Women however, are excluded from the competition by tradition because if they see their husbands defeated by other men, they could lose respect for their spouses. But some ladies like Alvina Lukwa argue that they are locked out of the fights because they can't stomach violence. "You see, us women would love to go and watch the fights, but due to our nature, if we saw someone hit very had, we would scream for mercy, but the men don't want that. That is why we are not allowed to watch the fighting," she said as she served home made beer to her customers. Although the tournament keeps pulling in the crowds, there have been worries that it can spread HIV through blood-to-blood contact. As a result the tournaments organizers agreed to stop the fights whenever a serious open wound is spotted during a match. Police officers were also on hand at the fights to ensure security and offer first aid. TRADITIONS CUSTOMS

ITN Source | January 4, 2007

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