Karateka off to SA

Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and hosts South Africa.
Members of the Zimbabwe team are Musa Chinunga, Joshua Kumire, Shepherd Ziwira, David Dube, who is the style’s chief instructor, Patrick Gombwe, Monica Peters, Melandie Ramjee, Lee Chemhuru, Nyasha Kumire, Tamuka Ziwira, Tinashe Ziwira, Ibrahim Shasick and Dean Kumire.
Dube, who will be leading the team, expressed confidence in his teammates and said they are hoping to bring back some medals.
“We have been training for the past one month. We have high chances in the juniors category and the veterans.
“We are confident we are going to get something from the veterans as well as in the seniors division.
“The team was selected from two clubs in Harare and Gweru. We have participated in the tournament for the past three years and we managed to win some medals,” said Dube.
He also that they are using the regional tournament to prepare for the Zone Six championships scheduled for the end of this month.
“We are using this competition to prepare for the Zone Six event because the competition will be high in this tournament and it’s good for exposure.
“Our toughest opponents will be the South Africans because they were in Japan recently and they may have some new things we do not know but we will do our level best,” said Dube.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Karate Union will hold a national inter-style tournament for the semi-contact karate styles in Gweru on May 12.
The tournament is expected to feature eight karate styles — JSKA, dentokan, toma karate, seidokan, urakashi, shito-ryu, kofukan, bino-ryu and shorin ryu. Two clubs from Botswana — Thebe karate and Hayashi ha karate — are also expected to take part in this tournament.
The national association president, Joe Rugwete, said the tournament will be a team event with clubs expected to field men and women’s teams.
“All karate styles affiliated to the national association will send their teams.
“ It will be a team event with the men’s team made up of five fighters while the women’s team consists of three members. There will be team kata as well.
“In preparation for that competition, I will conduct two seminars in Harare at Alexandra Sports Club on May 10 and another one in Gweru on the eve of the tournament. Registration is already underway through the national technical director Paul Danisa up to May 11,” Rugwete said.