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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>
“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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>
“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.”<\/p>\n
Based at the Katlehong Arts Centre, in Phooko Section, the club was started in 1989 and is the brainchild of Sibisi.<\/p>\n
It started with roughly six members and has grown to about 200 members.<\/p>\n
Among other accolades, 13 of the club’s members were graded to black belts at the International Grading, held in Cape Town, in 2008.<\/p>\n
Members of the club have been to Japan, Russia, India and other countries, participating in tournaments and competitions.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
For more information, contact Sibisi on 083 599 5916 or email him at thulane2005@gmail.com.<\/p>\n