By: Zama Ngcoya

Child safety enthusiast, Themba Majola (36) from the township of Lamontville, has proven his dedication to the safety of children by dedicating over a decade of his life to teaching
minors from his hometown the art of Karate.

The sport, which is usually associated with the Asian community, involves mental as well as physical training.

Majola said that his love for the sport began many years ago, when the stereotype attached to it was still rife.

“I was very passionate about karate from a very young age, but not many people saw me going very far with it as we knew it as a sport for the Asian community only.

I fell more in love with it as I grew up, and I began taking classes in it and eventually mastered it,” said Majola.

Majola said that he decided to pass his karate skills and knowledge to the children from his community when he witnessed the high crime levels against children, which began years ago.

“There is a lot of crime in society today, especially crimes aimed at children.

Crimes such as child abduction and the raping of children are the rifest.

So I started free karate lessons because I wanted to teach my students how to protect themselves should they ever be in danger,” added Majola.

When they return home from school every evening, Majola’s students go to AJ Mwelase Secondary School, a school in the area, to practice karate in one of the classrooms that has
been reserved as a Dojo, by school management.

Majola holds a black belt in Karate, which is commonly the highest belt colour used and indicates a level of competence in the sport.

He has also travelled to many places around the world, including Japan, where he got to showcase his talent.

Above the safety reasons, Majola’s students said they are very fond of their sensei, and are very passionate about karate.

“I love Karate more than anything because it helps me remain disciplined and keeps me in good shape. Our sensei also makes learning it plenty of fun because he is patient and very
good at what he does,” said Katlego Mokoena, one of Majola’s students.

Majola said that he hopes to attract more students in the future, whom he will teach the karate which they will use as a self defence mechanism if ever under threat.