The Japan Karate Association (JKA) in Brixton is producing top karateka.
The association was founded by Gert Aucump. “I started this club in 1989 because I have always loved karate,” said Aucump, who has competed and coached karate for a long time. He has competed in karate tournaments since the 80s and won a bronze medal in kata at the South African JKA Gauteng Regional Championships in April.
The association competes in annual provincial, national, continental and international competitions. About 12 members went to the regional championships in April and 10 made it to the National JKA Championships in May. At the nationals, the group managed to win six medals.
Karate may seem like a violent sport but the participants are disciplined. “Everything we learn about karate is to protect ourselves; it doesn’t mean we go out looking for trouble,” said Nashreem Kai, who started karate in 2004. She said she wanted to participate in some type of sport and, at the time, karate was the only sport at high school.
She said that karate helps with relaxation and concentration. She has won a first dan black belt, national colours and medals from different karate competitions.
Most of the association’s members are studying, including Rorisang Pule (20), who is originally from the North West and is studying towards a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance degree at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). He said he tries by all means to strike a balance between the two.
Pule is very passionate about karate. When he moved to Joburg he had to Google karate clubs in Joburg and that was when he learned about the association in nearby Brixton. He won national colours at the University Sports South Africa National Institutional Karate Championship in Durban in July, as well as a silver medal in the South African nationals.
The club trains three times a week but when there’s a competition, training is an everyday activity. The club welcomes anyone from the age of six.
Details Gert Aucump 082 446 5083.
