Cricket SA mourns death of commentator Mateza: 'He devoted his life to the service of sport'

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has paid its respects to veteran South African sports commentator Dumile Mateza, who died from cancer on Tuesday.

He was 62.

Mateza, born in Kareedouw in the Eastern Cape, became popular as a versatile sports commentator at the SABC in the early 1980s.

The former schoolteacher was renowned for his versatility - he was able to commentate in different South African languages, namely IsiXhosa, Afrikaans and English.

"Dumile was one of the few sports commentators who understood the power of language to speak to the heart of his audiences. He had a unique way of entertaining while using sport as a means to reconciliation, social cohesion, and nation-building," CSA's acting CEO, Pholetsi Moseki, said in a statement.

"Much as his passing is a momentous loss to all of us, his lessons of humility, servitude and dedication are a legacy that will be indelibly etched in memory for years to come."

Mateza will be remembered for doing commentary in Afrikaans during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which the Springboks memorably won when they beat the All Blacks 15-12 in the final at Ellis Park.

Also a boxing enthusiast of note, "Phesheya Phaya" was a former Boxing South Africa (BSA) board member and acting chief executive officer of the erstwhile South African National Boxing Control Commission (SANBCC).

Chairperson of the CSA board, Lawson Naidoo, added:

"Dumile Mateza devoted his entire adult life to the service of sport. He grew to become the giant he was, fighting against dehumanization in favour of representivity in the sports broadcasting industry. We are indebted to him and his generation for bringing back the dignity of South Africans through his relentless toil in the airwaves.

"He crossed over seamlessly from the