Katlehong’s Kyokushin Karate Club has been invited to participate in the Eastern Cape Shorin Kempo Tournament, to be held on September 27, at the Lilian Ngoyi Sport Center, in Port Elizabeth.
The youngsters at the club are excited and determined to excel at the tournament, but are worried about the financial constrains with which they are currently faced.
“We are in serious need of funds for transport, because most of our students are school children and can’t afford the transport fees,” said the chairman of the club, Thulane Sibisi.
“The bus owner has given us a quotation of R23 000 for a 21-sitter vehicle for our trip to PE, and we can’t afford that amount.”
“We reach out to the community for help and we are also willing to promote companies that can help us, by means of T-shirts, caps and other kinds of promotional items.”
Based at the Katlehong Arts Centre, in Phooko Section, the club was started in 1989 and is the brainchild of Sibisi.
It started with roughly six members and has grown to about 200 members.
Among other accolades, 13 of the club’s members were graded to black belts at the International Grading, held in Cape Town, in 2008.
Members of the club have been to Japan, Russia, India and other countries, participating in tournaments and competitions.
Among other objectives, the club strives to promote healthy lifestyles, adequate psychological and physical development of all youth and to encourage the youth to be responsible in their daily lives.
The members who are due to attend the tournament in PE are training hard and would like the opportunity to take part in the competition and showcase their talents.
For more information, contact Sibisi on 083 599 5916 or email him at thulane2005@gmail.com.
