By Buziwe Nocuze
- Priska Nkosi sells health supplements in Cape Town to fund the trips and keep her son away from bad things.
- Thembani Karate Academy students leave Cape Town for the South African tournament on the first of July using a taxi.
Cape Town mothers are making severe financial cuts to send their children to a karate tournament in Durban this July.
Priska Nkosi sells health supplements to support her 12-year-old son. She says karate keeps him away from bad things.
The sport is expensive. Parents pay R250 a month for training, R1,600 for protective gear, and a R380 grading fee. The trip to Durban costs another R1,500 for transport and R2,000 for accommodation.
To afford last year’s trip, Nkosi reversed an insurance debit order and negotiated with her son’s school transport driver.
This year, she is halving her grocery budget from R1,500 to R750 and using the profits from her supplement business.
Yolanda Dyani is also fighting to send her two children to the tournament. She works, but her salary does not cover the extra costs. Last year, her mother gave her pension money to help.
“Even this year, I will accept any help that I can get, and that is why we are asking for donations,” she said.
The parents say the sport teaches discipline and respect. But they struggle while other teams fly to the events. The Cape Town students travel by taxi.
Mazwi Khuzwayo coaches at the Thembani Karate Academy. He says losing students because of money problems hurts the team.
“If parents doesn’t cover their kids costs then the kid won’t attend the tournament,” he said.
The team leaves Cape Town by taxi on 1 July. The South African Karate tournament takes place on 3 and 4 July. They have no sponsors and are asking for help.
Pictured above: Students from Thembani Karate Academy in Cape Town are asking for donations to attend a tournament in Durban.
Image source: Mazwi Khuzwayo
