Paying it forward pays off for Umdloti boxer Derrick Kasonga

Former Congolese boxer Derrick Kasonga is the epitome of health and fitness.

No longer an active pugilist, but still using boxing routines to stay in top physical shape, the Umdloti big man has a dream of opening a boxing gym.

He juggles two jobs to reach that goal, trains every day, doesn’t drink alcohol and places a premium on sufficient sleep and a healthy diet.

“Sleeping enough and eating properly is the medicine of fitness. I never get sick,” he says.

Early in the mornings and late afternoons he trains clients in a gym space he rents, and at night he keeps the residents at 30 Degrees complex safe as a security guard.

He also trains private clients at the Sunset Club at Gold Coast, and when the weather is good, he can be seen sparring with young and old on the beach in front of Windsong.

Somewhere in between he finds time to refine his skills with his own boxing coach.

But life wasn’t always this good, and Derrick has had to go toe-to-toe with a few heavyweights before a chance encounter with a good Samaritan changed his life.

Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1988, he matriculated in his home country, majoring in commercial accounting, but was unable to find a job.

So he joined his brother’s friend in Durban, hoping it would be the land of milk and honey.

Growing up relatively carefree and sheltered from violence and crime, he soon got a rude awakening in Durban’s central business district when he saw a man stabbed in the neck.

“I was shocked. There was blood everywhere. I never experienced anything like this in the DRC.”

He said he quickly learned that South Africans are very different: “People in the DRC are open to meeting other people, but here you are afraid of other people.”

Not speaking English, Derrick’s employment options were limited, and he settled for a car guard job at the Pavilion Mall in Westville.

Eight months later, in November 2008, fate brought Derrick to Umdloti where he landed a security job and a room at the hostel next to Umdloti Resort.

Rotating shifts between different complexes, Derrick got to know Umdloti like the back of his hand and forged valuable relationships with the locals.

When the security company fell on hard times, 2010 FIFA World Cup fever saw Derrick move to Newcastle for a hotel security job. But a traumatic brush with death during an armed robbery saw him back in Umdloti less than a month later, unemployed but still smiling.

One morning as he was walking to town, a lady leaving her home recognised the friendly security guard with the positive attitude that used to work at her complex.

She stopped to say hello and find out what he’s been up to.

This is the part of the story where Derrick’s voice cracks and his eyes well up: “Bessie and Elmarie Muhl changed my life. They took me in like their own child. I lived in Bellamont Gardens in the house and they taught me English, sent me for computer lessons and to driving school. They are my family”.

Soon he found his current security job at 30 Degrees that came with onsite staff accommodation, and he got into fitness training, gradually buying equipment as money became available. He also took up cycling and a resident handyman, Phillip van Niekerk, introduced him to the local cycling club, the Umdloti Pirates, who introduced him to racing.

Derrick’s career as a fitness trainer started gaining traction at a gym in Verulam, but when Covid-19 hit he pivoted and moved all his equipment into the parking basement at 30 Degrees where he was able to sneak in a few clients, mostly by word of mouth.

“I am so grateful what this community has done for me.”

Thanks to hard work, perseverance and the support of a kind and caring community, Derrick’s business has since the end of the pandemic outgrown the allotted space where he lives and he is currently renting a private garage from a homeowner at Bellamont Gardens where he has his gym equipment set up to train clients.

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