The September leg of Siyakubonga Funeral Parlour's monthly R3 000 cash donation has gone towards assisting two Grahamstown karatekas who will be flying the South African flag in Poland next month.
The September leg of Siyakubonga Funeral Parlour's monthly R3 000 cash donation has gone towards assisting two Grahamstown karatekas who will be flying the South African flag in Poland next month.
Graeme College students Brent Smith, 13, and Ali-Ahmed Syed-Cassim, 8, are members of a team of 20 representing South Africa in the World Union of Karate Federations (WUKF) Championships.
The event incorporates world championships for children, cadets and juniors. The competition will take place at the city of Szczecin, from 15-19 October.
Siyakubonga's Vuyani Mpako handed over R1 500 each to the parents of the two top-performing young sports people.
Ali-Ahmed's proud mom, Zarina Syed Cassim, said, "We are grateful to Siyakubonga for the donation. We managed to raise the bulk of the money – but this will help for the spending money."
Ali-Ahmed, who started karate just two years ago, holds an impressive record of eight golds and one silver medal in various competitions.
The Smith and Syed-Cassim families tried many ways to raise the money they needed for the trip. Heidi Smith said her efforts hadn't been very successful.
"Many businesses told us that they would have helped if it was a team rather than individuals," she said.
"Siyakubonga is the only business that donated and we would like to say thanks to them and that they should do this in the future even for other kids."
Both families managed to raise the R23 000 they need to cover flights and accommodation.
