With the most impressive credentials in sports, the nationally recognised coach and referee Keorapetse Jameson Mashimo, was recently selected as one of the 100 South African Shining Stars for his contribution to sports in his community. Driven by his mantra “Sports Officials sole purpose is to promote, develop, enhance and govern sports”. Keorapetse Mashimo, a boxing fanatic who was born and bred in Fox Lake Tlhabane, Rustenburg, is not only a successful boxing coach, referee and judge but he also uses that to contribute positively to his community.
The start of his career in boxing dates back to 2017 and he is currently serving as the Federation Representative in the North West Sports Academy Commission and currently the Provincial Secretary-general of North West Boxing and National Deputy Secretary in the Legal and Ethics Commission of the South African National Boxing Organisation (SANABO).
”As a nationally qualified referee, judge and coach, I coach at club level and officiate from local and national level and help keep young people off the streets.” Said Mashimo.
This boxing fanatic has been declared best of almost everything in his boxing career and what he is best at now is using his awarded skills to contribute positively in his community, especially towards women and the youth. According to Mashimo, MEC for Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation in North West released a mandate to develop women and youth in sports and rural areas. To date Mashimo has done well in that regard that he has young several technical officials (referees and judges) and coaches that he is developing and majority of them are young females.
Mashimo has coached and mentored the likes of Keamogetswe Leshole who is a former provincial champion, currently a co-founder of Shape Keatlaretse (SK) Boxing Academy in Mahikeng that bona fide member of the North West Open Boxing Organization (NWOBO) and recently entered the ring for the first time as a referee in a provincial development tournament.
To add to his full-time job as an educator, Mashimo has responded to his calling of using his skills to give back to those who aspire to be where he is. “Being where I am today is one huge milestone that I have managed to achieve and as a philanthropist, it really warms my heart to see the contributions I make in people’s lives resulting positively,” he concluded.
