Dylan Bettencourt
USensei Mandla Nkonde uqhuba isikole sekarati ekilasini elincane esikoleni samabanga aphezulu i-Letsibogo e-Soweto, isikole esikhokhelwa yinzuzo yakhe njengoba esebenza njengomuntu oqoqa impahla ukuze iguqulwe kabusha.
UNkonde ufundisa intsha yase-Soweto ikarati ngoMgqibelo ntambama, lapho izingane zibonakala khona zigqoke izimpahla zazo ezimhlophe i-Gi karate kanye namabhande azo anemibala amele isikhundla sabo kulo mdlalo.
UNkonde wazalelwa e-Soweto, ubelokhu edlulisa ubuchwepheshe bakhe be-karati kusukela ngowe-1980. USensei, owayenza ubuciko bokulwa impilo yakhe yonke, wazuza ibhande lakhe elimnyama ngemuva kweminyaka embalwa nje.
Lo mpetha uqhuba i-Orlando West Karate Development Academy ngezimpelasonto. Lesi sikhungo siyingxenye ye-Soweto Dojo Kyokushin.
“Ngisakhula, bengihlezi ngiyithanda i-karate,” kusho uNkonde ku-GroundUp.
“Ukubona abantu abafana noBruce Lee kumabonakude kwangenza ngafuna ukufunda ukuthi bakwenza kanjani lokhu abekwenzayo. Ngaqala ukwenza i-karate ngowe-1977 ngisahlala oLundi, eKZN”.
Ngemuva kokuthola ibhande elimnyama, uNkonde waqala ukuqeqesha izingane e-Newcastle esikoleni samaKatolika ngasekupheleni kweminyaka yango-1980.
“I-Karate ifuna isiyalo nokuzithoba, futhi ikufundisa nenhlonipho. Bengifuna ukufaka lezi zimiso ezinganeni,” esho.
UNkonde njengamanje uqeqesha intsha eyi-15 eneminyaka ephakathi kwemihlanu neyi-19.
Ngemuva kokuphelelwa ngumsebenzi ngonyaka wezi-2000, uNkonde waphenduka umfundisi we-Karate. Umlingani wakhe uManuku Nkopane naye wenza lowo msebenzi. Iningi lemali yabo ligcina lesi sikole siphila.
“Ukaba ngumsebenzi oqoqa impahla ukuze iguqulwe kabusha kubeka ukudla etafuleni lethu futhi kukhokha irenti yethu. Lesi sikhungo siphinde sizuze uma sifaka imali yethu eyengeziwe kuso,” kusho uNkopane, ongumgcinimafa walesi sikhungo.
Amalungu acelwa ukuthi akhokhe imali encane, kodwa uNkonde akami endleleni yanoma ngubani ofuna ukujoyina lesi sikhungo, noma ngabe uyakhokha noma cha.
Lesi sikhungo sasisebenzisa imishini yokuzenzela ngaphambi kokuthi i-African Bank ixhase ngokuthenga imishini emisha sha ngowezi-2019.
Umthombo wesithombe: @GroundUP