Lovemore Ndou
Lovemore was born during the apartheid era in the shantytown of Nancefield, on the outskirts of Musina, formerly known as Messina, in South Africa. As a child growing up in South Africa, Lovemore experienced poverty and the injustices of the apartheid system, witnessed atrocities committed against his family and community, was a victim of police brutality and saw his best friend gunned down in a street protest. Yet, against all odds, he succeeded and rose through the ranks to become a boxing world champion and then a successful lawyer, while making Australia his home.
Apartheid was one of the greatest evils faced by people of colour in South Africa. It was an era of darkness in South Africa. An era in which black people were treated as savages in their own country of origin. They were rated as not being intellectually the same as white people. Justice looked different for blacks as it did for whites. The police system was created to police blacks while it served whites.
Blacks were exposed to the Bantu educational system which was created to serve the interests of white supremacy while white education was more advanced.
Lovemore is a former boxing world champion, an Australian Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, the Principal Solicitor at Lovemore Lawyers specialising in the areas of Family Law, Criminal Law and Human Rights Law. He is an academic with seven university degrees to his name, ranging from Law, Communication, Human Rights, Policy, International Law and Politics. He is also an author and a highly trained Infantry Soldier who served as a reservist in the Australian Defence Force.
He also served on the Law Advisory Committee at the University of Wollongong.
Lovemore is a political activist who provides pro-bono services to indigenous people in Australia.
According to Lovemore,
“The incarceration rate of Aboriginal people in Australia is disproportionate and there appear to be significant injustices visited upon them on a systematic basis.”
“I have painful memories of my upbringing in South Africa where injustice was rife, and I am determined to do my bit to aid Australia’s Indigenous folk in any way I can to make sure they are treated with respect and equanimity under the law; hence I take on a number of pro bono cases each year, particularly for Indigenous people.”
He was also involved in the Black Lives Matter movement, a social movement focused largely on fighting racism and police brutality against Black people. He also features in the “WE BLEED THE SAME” exhibition, an anti-racism exhibition and documentary supported by the Freilich Project at the Australian National University.
“By standing up against police brutality and racism against Black people, it does not mean other lives don’t matter. All lives matter but history shows that Black people have been the main targets of police brutality over the years and they continue to be subjected to racial-profiling,”
“Just as I take a strong stance against racism and police brutality against blacks, I also take a very strong stance against reverse racism, farm attacks and murders which target mostly whites.”
“Racism diminishes you right to the core and shatters your self-esteem. Being told you’re worthless because of the colour of your skin ultimately undermines you, no matter how resilient you might think you are,”
“The ANC has failed the people and, in the process, created a new form of apartheid. The key difference is that the current unofficial apartheid is not legislated, yet it has an enormous impact on the people. Apartheid doesn’t have to be written into legislation to exist. If, for example, you thwart someone from excelling because of their age, gender, race or sexual preference then it’s a form of apartheid.”
LOVEMORE ON WHY HE LEFT SOUTH AFRICA FOR AUSTRALIA IN 1996
“I left South Africa in 1996 because at the time I wanted to further my studies and pursue a boxing career on an international level and platform.
“Development and infrastructures in South Africa at the time did not support those goals. And this is not to suggest that much has changed since then because if anything the country has regressed in the last 30 years.
“I had gone as far as I could in South Africa. Australia is a first world country and I wanted to enhance my skills to then come back and invest in South Africa. I have never lost touch with my nation. I did not defect. My roots are firmly rooted in South Africa.”
Lovemore is a three-time, two division, world boxing champion, and an Australian Boxing Hall of Fame inductee. Beyond his achievements in the ring, he has also excelled in the legal field, boasting a highly successful career as a lawyer. Furthermore, he’s earned seven degrees encompassing law, communication, human rights, international law, politics, and policy. He is an author and has also served in the Australian Defence Force as an Infantry Soldier. With this impeccable background, Lovemore is well-prepared and well equipped for his next endeavour in Politics.
In 2024, he made the decision to run as an Independent Candidate in the General Elections of South Africa. Following that he formed his own political party called BABSA which stands for BUILDING A BETTER SOUTH AFRICA.
When interviewed by SABC (the South African Broadcasting Corporation) about his decision to return to South Africa and enter into politics. In his response, he said:
“It’s unfortunate but our black leaders have failed our nation. The current governments across the board are plagued with what I see as mismanagement.”
“I have been a student of a first world country and would like to apply my skills and learning to South Africa.”
“What Australia has taught me is how to build and maintain infrastructures. How to care for the elderly. How to provide job security for the people. And how to epitomize the value of education.”
“Australia has been better than good to me. It’s equipped me with cross-sectional tools to run a better South Africa. A South Africa where the future of our children is guaranteed.”