Joza Karate Club and Makana Karate Club recently participated in the Saska East Coast Karate Open (Secko) Championships and fared fairly well considering it was their first time at the tournament.
Joza Karate Club and Makana Karate Club recently participated in the Saska East Coast Karate Open (Secko) Championships and fared fairly well considering it was their first time at the tournament.
Trained by Sensei Mzwandile Matebese from Joza KC, and sensei Zwelakhe Sinam from the Makana club, six karateka from the two clubs took part in the tournament at the Fish River Sun about 25km outside Port Alfred and managed to win five medals. In total Matebese trains 10 karatekas, and he says he’s happy working with such a small group because "the less the number the better the concentration on them," he said.
" I’m very happy with the people I have training with me because in the past the problem was that I would have a large group, but very unreliable." Matebese’s team of 10 trains at Vuyani Hall twice a week.
The six participants who took part in the Secko Championships are, Nobuhle Chiliza (silver medal for kumite – fighting) the youngest at 9, Siyanda Soxonjwa (bronze medal for kumite), Gcobani Manona, Phakamani Ngcina (gold for kata and bronze for kumite), Xolani Mahala (gold for kata and silver for kumite), and Sensei Mzwandile Matebese.
"Look, for a first time team with people who have been training only since March I think we did fairly well. Most of them are young and were very intimidated by the thought of going to a tournament," he said before laughing about his own fight. "Eish, it was tough, the guys were very well prepared and you have to understand that we cannot win all the time."
Matebese started the Joza Karate Club in 2008 and says that he is happy with the little community service he’s managed to do so far through his club. "As a member of the community I feel that I have, and still manage to serve my community through sport," he said before adding that karate keeps people busy and distances them from the problems their communities battle with.
"Karate as a sport teaches you to be disciplined and to appreciate others around you. When you fight and lose, as a karateka you realise that it’s not just about you out there, as such you become disciplined and appreciative of the other people, and that would usually show itself in the community you live in and the people you live with," he concluded.
