With many women and children continuing to face safety threats in everyday environments, QuanWessels Academy and the Tribe Martial Arts Foundation hosted a free self-defence class aimed at equipping women with practical self-defence skills.

The workshop saw 40 women from Fourways and surrounding areas learning core self-defence concepts, including maintaining safe distance, breakaway techniques, and emergency medical response skills.

Read more: Simangele Smash Hadebe set to defend WBO Africa title in anti-GBV bout

Co-founder Norman ‘Chef’ Wessels said the session was intentionally structured as an introduction, rather than a full training programme.

“This is a little workshop. I wouldn’t call it a class. They’re going through more concepts than actual technique right now, because to get good and learn technique requires lots and lots of consistent training.

“We are giving them a taste of the concepts. Basic principles of how to keep distance and how to break away. It’s about equipping them with something that, God forbid, they never need to use.”

The workshop also focused on basic emergency medical training, including how to apply a tourniquet to stop severe bleeding following accidents or violent incidents. Wessels noted that such skills can provide valuable time before professional medical assistance arrives.

“It’s a fundamental life skill in today’s day and age. Unfortunately, we live in a society where man poses a threat. It’s important to have the ability not only to defend yourself but to mitigate risk and reduce harm.”

Also read: EFC warrior turns defeat into fuel in pursuit of PFL Africa dream

The academy currently hosts introductory workshops twice a year, to encourage participants to pursue regular training, rather than relying on one-off sessions. Wessels encouraged attendees to continue developing their skills through ongoing classes, including Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, and ladies-only jiu-jitsu sessions.

Operations and partnerships manager at the Tribe Martial Arts Foundation Suzanne Fernandes said the initiative was created to address the lack of accessible self-defence training opportunities within the community.

“We found that there are a lot of people within the community who do not have access to self-defence training. We decided to introduce a free workshop for women in the surrounding areas to create awareness about how important it is to continuously train and learn to defend yourself and your family.”

She added that the foundation also focuses on uplifting families from lower-income communities by providing access to martial arts training and creating inclusive environments for children and parents.

“We want to empower moms and families to be part of a community where they feel included and can access training. We also introduce their children to a sport that teaches valuable life skills.”

Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates!