The stage is set to breed champions

This Saturday, 24th of February is the day of reckonings for Tshepang Padime, a 14-year-old boy from

Duduza in Nigel with a huge responsibility on his shoulders to maintain his image depicting an

optimum leader of young people in society, and Thandowlethu Malaza, 16-year-old girl who always

strives to be the best in everything she does. Her class teacher always says she is a true reflection of

how a girl child in this generation should live like. Phadime and Malaza will be competing in the 2 nd

Annual Full Contact Karate Knockdown in Soweto Communal Hall, organized by an International

Karate Organization Kyokushin-Kaikan (IKOK) Sonoda – SA, partially supported or sponsored by

Johannesburg City Region.

Both Malaza and Phadime would be leading team Duduza in this national karate tournament with

fighters from all over South Africa and in other African countries, such as in Swaziland and

Zimbabwe. Altogether the team from Duduza will be represented by 10 fighters, Tshepang and

Malaza say they have assembled an oiled machine team that is prepared both mentally and

physically to represent the community of Duduza on the most intensive karate combat ever. They

say as it was last year, where every member of their team left the tournament as winners with

different prizes, they are expecting to dominate the contest again this year in their respective

divisions.

“Each time I fight I know I must win to maintain my reputation and remain respected by my school

mates and community members. My goal is to retire in karate a champion who has dominated his

opponents on every challenge he encounters. As I won this challenge last year, I also promised my

sensei that I would win again this year and obtain position one like I did last year,” says Phadime, a

grade 10 learner at Esibonelo Esihle Secondary School in Duduza.

Malaza says what is important to her is to have a balanced lifestyle, which includes sports and books.

She says she began practicing karate after a horrible accident happened to her as a child and

compelled her to find a hobby that would enable her to defend herself when the need arises. She

says she never wishes another girl to go through what she went through in life, but she is thankful to

God that that epoch of her life is over, and she has won her life again through karate.

“If it were about me, I would encourage every girl child to do karate in their spare time. Karate is not

just a sport that instills discipline in everyone who practices it, but also gives you courage to face

every challenge facing you in life. All my demons or frustrations I take them out during every training

session,” says Malaza, also a pupil at Esibonelo Esihle Secondary School doing grade 11.​

Sphiwe Dinsi, the principal at Esibonelo Esihle says the school is with Malaza and Phadime on their

most important contest. He says they would not only be competing for themselves but for the

school as well. “I know of Malaza because of her academic records. She is a well-rounded child who

excels in everything she does. She even wrote an exam on the next day discharged from hospital and

killed it. Malaza and Phadime are what all children from our society should be like. If all kids couldbe like them South Africa will raise a generation, we can all be proud of as a nation,” says the

principal.