A Cape Town mother is pleading for help to send her son to Johannesburg to represent Western Province at the South African JKA Karate Championships this month.
Siddeeqa Griffiths from Mitchells Plain initially got her son Moegammad – who she describes as “small for his age” – involved in karate when he was in Grade R to help him defend himself from bullies and to get him off the streets in a community where gangsterism is rife.
Little did she know that her son would develop a love for the sport that would see him attain provincial colours and even stand a chance to compete on the national stage.
Now at the age of 12, Moegammad has been chosen for the Western Province team for the championships in Johannesburg.
“He’s now brown belt. Hopefully by next year, he will be black belt. He competed in the Western Province trials and got gold and bronze medals. So now he has to represent Western Province in Johannesburg,” Griffiths told IOL Sport.
Should he do well in Johannesburg, Moegammad could stand a chance to travel to Japan to represent South Africa at the world championships.
In a letter confirming the youngster’s selection, and asking for sponsorship, his coach Jon Williams writes: “He is a very important part of the Western Province team and has a very good chance of being selected for the South African team.
According to Griffiths, the cost to send athletes to the SA Champs is R6 000-per-person.
“Me being the paranoid mother, I won’t send him there alone, so I’m hoping to raise the fund for both of us, but I barely make enough to make ends meet. My husband works in construction for minimum wage. We can’t both go, but I’d like one of us to be able to go with him,” Griffiths said.
Speaking to IOL Sport about his love for karate, Moegammad said: “I eat, sleep and breathe karate. I drive my parents crazy sometimes. It would mean everything to be able to go to Johannesburg and to fly there with my family.
“I’m also one of the seniors in my dojo, even though I’m only 12 year old. Karate is my life,” he said.
— Anyone willing to sponsor Moegammad can contact his mother Siddeeqa Griffiths on 076 372 1979, or his karate instructor Jon Williams on 061 046 8861.
IOL Sport