In a time when it is essential to have the skills one needs to protect oneself, two young men have taken it upon themselves to help their community to be prepared for any situation.

Seramo Sello and Sello Matlhoko run the South African Full Contact Karate Organisation dojo in Kagiso where they train members of the community from the age of six to 60 for free.

They opened their dojo in 2016 and moved to a new premises at the beginning of the year. During lockdown they had to put their classes on hold.

If everything goes according to plan they will be resuming classes at the Masupatsela Secondary School in Kagiso from January 2021.

One of the things they want to focus on is self-defence classes for the women in their community. They said with gender-based violence being a growing problem, they wanted the woman in the community to be able to feel safer.

Seramo said karate has a calming effect, it makes you fit and strong, and helps with discipline. He added that the lockdown has also thrown a spanner in the works as they were planning on participating in numerous competitions this year.

Sello said that girls are hesitant to join them because they think karate is only for boys, but they are inviting all the girls to come to the dojo to train.

If you are interested in joining them, give them a call on 081 722 2322 or 068 593 4839.