Dingaan Thobela was only buried two weeks ago and already his family is already fighting over his assets. The boxing legend died on 29 April 2024 at 57 years old after being found in his Johannesburg apartment. Dingaan's 14 children are said to be fighting to split his assets equally, while his father Godfrey Thobela has allegedly taken charge of everything. The matter is currently with the court and Godfrey has been handed a summons.

ZiMoja has seen a summons delivered to Dingaan's pensioner father, Godfrey, from all of the boxing legends' adult children wanting a piece of their father's estate. A neighbour to the Thobela family said the summons was delivered on the day the South African Boxing Federation and the ANC had visited the boxing legend's father. "We all saw and heard everything." 

The neighbour alleges that Dingaan had not been home in three years. "Dingaan was alone when he died. He never visited home. He lived in a back room in the dilapidated building where he owns shops in Langlaagte, the same place where his body was discovered," the neighbour reveals. "By the time he was found, his body had started decaying in that back room because he was alone." The source said that after his death, Dingaan's father put his banking details for the clients of The Rose Funeral Parlour to deposit money into his account. "Dingaan's accounts have been frozen and because Godfrey cannot have access to his funds, he put his banking details on the door of the funeral parlour for clients to deposit their instalments directly to his personal account," said the neighbour.

A family member told ZiMoja that Dingaan's business The Rose Funeral Parlour, had crumbled because of his family. "He allowed them to work with him and they opened branches for themselvesand his business suffered," he said. " His step-siblings took over and he was left with nothing. A lot of selfish acts have happened to Dingaan and it's time they are now exposed." The heartbroken family member said Dingaan was not really broke when he died, but he was alone and heartbroken. "We found him after a long time because he had no one, except for his friends. Now, his dad wants to be in charge and take his assets when he has children of his own. They are the ones who are supposed to enjoy his legacy. The children are still waiting to be cleansed," he said, adding that, "All the kids want is to continue their father's legacy. No one said he can't get what he deserves, but he is wanting to take charge of everything."

SUMMONED

Dingaan's father Godfrey confirmed to ZiMoja that he received a summons. "They are taking me to court. I am not sure what will be the discussion, maybe it's about splitting his assets. The police came to deliver the summons last week. But I have nothing with me," he said. "Everything is still at his property in Langlaagte, his cars had broken down and are with the mechanics until they are fixed." 

Godfrey added that he included his banking details for clients to be able to continue making deposits to the funeral parlour. "The clients know me because I worked with Dingaan in the funeral business. They trusted me with the funds. I informed the children, I would be opening an account to keep the client's money in the meantime, while the court decides on how the assets will be split. I still don't know if Dingaan had a will or had written down how his assets will be split- we will find out in court." Godfrey added that he is only aware of about 10 or 11 kids belonging to the boxer. "14 yona angiyazi shame. (I don't know about the 14 children) None of Dingaan's children wished to comment. "This is a private family matter; we wish to retain the dignity of our father and we just want his legacy to be continued through us." they said in a short joint statement to ZiMoja.