Maitewa Succumbs To Brain Tumour

Calistus Kolantsho | Monday October 19, 2020 14:43

 

Maitewa Succumbs To Brain Tumour

At a tender age of 22-years, he had been struggling with a brain tumour and eventually succumbed to the disease on Friday.

Maitewa fought in the 57kg category and was a member of the Molepolole boxing club.

He competed during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifiers that were held in Dakar, Senegal in February. Maitewa was a national fly and bantam weight champion in 2017 until 2019. He represented Botswana at the 2016 African Union Sport Council (AUSC) in Angola where he scooped a silver medal. Furthermore, he was given an opportunity to travel with the Commonwealth national team to Gold Coast in 2018 for development purpose. Maitewa was born in 1998 in Molepolole.

Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) caretaker chief executive officer (CEO), Tuelo Serufho told Sport Monitor that as Botswana sport, they were shattered by the passing of the young boxer in whom they still had much hope. 

“In the short years that Maitewa had been in boxing, he has served Botswana diligently, not only as a very disciplined athletes, but one with high level of commitment and enviable work ethic. At the time his condition was detected, Maitewa was still attempting to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and we have stood by him since that day, financially and otherwise,” he said.

Serufho sent condolences to the Maitewa family on behalf of the BNSC and assured them of support during this hour of need. He added that the deceased champion would be sorely missed by many in sport. Funeral arrangements were still to be made at the time of going to print.