Date: 04 -05 March 2023
Place: Banquet hall, Klerksdorp Town, North West Province, South Africa
Organizers/host: WKO branch chiefs: Mr. Thomas Sindephi Mayekani
The Shinkyokushinkai Karate North West (SKNW) had, once again successfully hosted The 11th Matlosana Cup annual championships on 04 – 05 March 2023 at the Banquet Hall, Klerksdorp in the North West Province. The Matlosana cup annual championship has become a very highly competitive tournament for the Kyokushin fraternity in South Africa and Southern Africa. The tournament aims to develop young full contact karate competitors and to bring together karate practitioners and spectators from different organizations, cultures and backgrounds and share in the benefits and achievements that karate can bring to everyone, such as discipline, determination, dedication and health and wellbeing of an individual as well as that of the team and the community enlarge.
The tournament was attended by full contact karate participants form all the nine South African provinces irrespective of full contact affiliation including representatives from our neighbouring country Zimbabwe. A total of 297 competitors participated in the tournament in different weight categories. The first day of the tournament on Saturday 04 March, saw 193 juniors (under 18 years old) exchanging blows and 104 seniors (18 years and above) participating in the last day, Sunday 05 March. This year Zimbabwe participated with a strong team of nine (9) senior fighters, headed by their Branch Chief for the Zimbabwe So-Kyokushin Karate – Do, Shihan Samson Muripo who himself is a two-time So-Kyokushin World Kyokushin Karate Champion. At least three (3) of the Zimbabwean team reached the top 4 in their senior weight categories. The overall tournament winners was dominated by Shinkyokushinkai Kwazulu-Natal and Gauteng Province.
The host team, a.k.a Team Tom, managed to win 22 trophies in the junior weight divisions on Saturday while the seniors joined the bandwagon by winning 10 trophies on Sunday. The 17-year-old Kamogelo Masawe participated on both days, winning his division (1st place) on Saturday and obtaining position 3 on Sunday against a former long-time champion Sbonelo Ncube, thus making history and hoisting the Team Tom flag high at this prestigious tournament. “kamogelo expressed his gratitude towards his instructors and appreciation of Karate when he stated that karate taught him to be respectful, discipline and self-defence and that karate played a critical role in shaping his personal character and making him who he is today.
The SKNW branch and the host would like to extend an appreciation and gratitude to Shihan Isaac Mashinini for his guidance, unconditional support and for honoring and blessing the tournament as a center referee for the final bout in the senior divisions. Shihan Mashinini expressed his satisfaction with the fighter, particularly the senior divisions as they have showed a lot of improvement and determination and said this shows they have been preparing hard for the upcoming 13th World Open Karate Championship taking place on October 14-15th, 2023 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium (Tokyo, Japan). The SKNW branch extend their gratitude to the sponsors and partners in this year’s event, which are the DR Keneth Kaunda municipality LED office, Twinz hair Salon, Mamokomane funerals, Team Tom administrators, parents, instructors, competitors, spectators and tournament officials for making the tournament a great success.
Kind regards,
Sensei Andronica Shonhiwa (née Rakgantso)
WKO South Africa/ Africa region
For President, shihan Isaac Mashinini.
On Behalf of Sensei Thomas Mayekani and Matlosana cup organizers
