There are few sportsmen who leave a mark on the South African sporting landscape, fewer still who leave one as indelible as legendary boxer Elijah ‘Tap Tap’ Makhatini.
Born in 1942 in the hills of rural Habeni, 20km inland of Eshowe, Makhatini carved an unusual path to sports icon status.
Raised in an impoverished area, the bright lights of televised national bouts seemed beyond the reach of a young boy with little formal training.
This did not stop Makhatini, however, and after being introduced to boxing as a sport by his grandfather, the drive to succeed never diminished.
“We used to do a lot of stick fighting when we were children and it was the first time that I got a taste of competition – soon there was no one left for me to fight,” he told the Courier in a recent interview.
This spurred an early training regime which included training with a makeshift punching bag filled with mud.
Sparse bouts occurred in the area, however, and Makhatini moved south to Shakaskraal in 1964 to look for work and better competition for his fledgling boxing career.
“Two friends and I went to work on a sugarcane farm in Shakaskraal, but even before the end of the first day we were fired,” laughs Makhatini.
After a few part-time jobs in Groutville, Makhatini moved to Stanger in 1966 and found steady work with a railway construction company.
More importantly, he found a group of amateur boxers and a gym in which to train.
“I was finally able to start fighting regularly and this is when I started fighting in amateur bouts.”
This is also where the name ‘Tap Tap’ developed. The night before his first bout, a friend asked Makhatini how he thought the fight would play out.
“I pulled out a tape measure and showed my friend the distance I would keep the other fighter at. During the fight, I stayed away to tire him and then knocked him out in the third round, all my friends started chanting ‘Tape Tape’ because my plan had worked.”
‘Tap Tap’ is the name that caught on and Makhatini kept it because he felt it fitting for a quick-hitting boxer.
Although his talent was immediately evident, it took 5 years before he was able to break into professional competition, having to work a full time job and with limited opportunities for black sportsmen in the Apartheid era.
When he finally turned pro in 1971, this became a point of derision from other boxers he had met who had made the step much earlier in their career.
“They used to laugh at me because they thought I was too old. In 1 year I had beaten them all.”
After turning to boxing full time, Makhatini’s star quickly rose and he became the KwaZulu-Natal black boxing champion in 1972, while interracial fights were still strictly outlawed.
His signature southpaw knockout punch became legendary and many opposing fighters were unable to avoid the mat when used effectively.
Soon international fighters would feel the weight of Makhatini’s gloves and in 1973 he beat Americans Willie Warren and Billy Douglas as well as Brazilian Juarez de Lima the next year.
Still he was unable to fight a white South African for the national middleweight title.
He had to wait until 1976 for the chance, when he fought Jan Kies for the unified national middleweight championship.
Makhatini won by technical knockout in the 3rd round, officially becoming the first black national champion.
Asked about the social significance of his victory in a year that included the Soweto Uprising, Makhatini was quick to downplay his role as an icon.
“Whatever was happening outside the ring didn’t matter to me. Once the fight finished we touched gloves and left it there. Sport is sport and that is the way I looked at it, he was just another competitor.”
Makhathini continued to fight for another 4 years, ceding his title to Doug Lumley in 1977, in a career that took him to Monaco for his only professional fight outside of South Africa.
He retired in 1980 with a record of 47 wins, 13 losses and 2 draws in just 9 years as a professional.
In October 2004, he received the Order of Ikhamanga, silver, for his contribution to and achievements in SA boxing and was elected to the SA Sport Hall of Fame in 2007.
Following his retirement, Makhatini moved back to his childhood home in Habeni to open a general store and tavern called ‘Tap Tap Liquors’.
He has stayed there ever since, still working behind the bar at the age of 79.
His passion for boxing has remained and he continues to train local boys in a small gym behind his tavern.
Though slighter than he once was, the signs of a prizefighter still show when Makhatini rests his truly giant hands on the bar top.
He forgets some dates and details, but clearly enjoys reliving some of his finer moments, with animated sound effects and movements punctuating his memories of the bouts.
If you find yourself in Habeni, it is well worth taking the time to visit Tap Tap Liquors to share some stories over a quart of beer. The legend of ‘Tap Tap’ Makhatini is still very much alive.