KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Dr Zweli Mkhize
MEC for Sports, Recreation and Tourism, Mrs Weziwe Thusi
Mayor of Ethekwini Municipality, Councillor Obed Mlaba
International Karate President, Kancho Yoshukashi Matsushima
South African Kyokushinkai President, Sensei Khanyisani Mazibuko
Ladies and gentlemen
Good evening to you all
This year marks the second hosting of the Jacob Zuma Matsushima Karate Cup, with participants from seven of our country's provinces.
It is wonderful for us to be brought together by sport, as South Africa is a proud sporting nation, whether as a participant or host.
We have also proven that we have the most energetic and supportive spectators, as demonstrated during the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.
The importance of this evening's occasion cannot be over-emphasised.
There has been a strong focus on the main sporting codes such as soccer, rugby, cricket and others over many years.
We now need to ensure the promotion of all other sporting codes as well in order to boost the sporting profile of our nation.
Karate is one of those sports that need to be promoted amongst our youth in particular, both young men and women.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We have learned a lot from the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. One of these lessons is the power of sport as a nation builder and a unifying factor.
This is evident currently too, as we celebrate the performance of our athletes in the Commonwealth Games in India.
We are optimistic that our medal tally will increase as the games continue in Delhi.
Clearly, sport continues to play a prominent role in the life of our nation, and we are bound to improve our international competitiveness.
Ladies and gentlemen,
You will recall that many decades ago, karate was a mystical and magical sport that was known only to a handful.
That was because in apartheid South Africa, the sport remained the preserve of a select few.
I am glad that today the myth and legend around karate is slowly but surely being eroded.
For that I congratulate Sensei Khanyisani Mazibuko and his colleagues. His efforts to promote Karate-do are admirable.
We value this sport for various reasons. As you are aware, one of the priorities for this term of government is to improve the health profile of our nation.
The discipline, fitness and striving for a healthy lifestyle that karate inculcates is essential to achieving this objective.
The discipline that the sport instils in the youth will enable them to maintain the highest standards in all spheres of their lives.
Karate teaches self defence, discipline and focus in everything one does. These are important skills for the youth to learn.
Honoured guests,
As said earlier, through karate and indeed other sports, we want to build a more united and cohesive winning nation.
The 2010 FIFA Football World Cup showed us that it is possible for South Africans to come together, united by one goal, to make their country succeed.
The karate tournament contributes to that spirit. It is vital that we sustain this sense of unity among all South Africans.
Many of the young people participating in the tournament came from diverse backgrounds. They may not have met had it not been for the sport of karate.
Just as we have seen soccer, rugby, cricket and other sports break down barriers between people, so has karate had a similar effect.
It is these small but critical steps that are essential to building a united nation. Our country can only go from strength to strength from here onwards.
We also welcome the initiative of running a prisoner re-orientation programme which covers a spectrum of multi-faceted training and counselling at all major prison centres in KwaZulu-Natal.
The rehabilitation of prisoners stands out as a clear example that sport can play a role in the reintegration of offenders in our communities.
In particular, this initiative also highlights that karate can be used as a proactive measure. It can redirect the energies of our people into this beautiful game rather than crime.
This is a worthwhile exercise indeed.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Given the highly successful 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup that we hosted, we have proven our capability to the world.
We have proven that we have the infrastructure, experience and expertise to manage huge projects.
We have proven that we can meet our undertakings and are reliable as international partners.
We also earned accolades because we pulled off a successful World Cup during a global economic crisis. This proved our excellent economic management expertise.
It is these attributes and successes that make it possible for us to host other international events.
We have added another victory this evening. We are proud to congratulate Kyokushin Kai South Africa on winning the bid for South Africa to host the 2014 Karate World Cup.
We are indeed a winning nation, in all respects.
The success of this bid will encourage multi-cultural relationships amongst the countries of the world.
We strongly believe that the 2014 Karate World Cup will serve as a platform for promoting karate as a sporting code of note in the country.
Participants in this tournament can expect the same warmth and hospitality that greeted soccer fans during the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.
South Africa would be able to show the world again that it is possible to build bridges across cultural differences through sports.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me emphasise that government remains committed to achieving the unity of our people, and to use sport as one of the instruments to achieve this goal.
We commend the support of the private sector in this regard. We urge the business community to invest in sporting codes other than soccer, rugby and cricket.
We commend those who sponsor karate, swimming, chess, netball and others.
Some of these codes have an important contribution to youth development and in building stable communities.
Karate-do is not merely a sport, but a way of life.
It calls upon its participants to aspire to the highest ideals in all areas of their lives.
We must therefore encourage participants in the karate tournaments to work hard to become great achievers in all spheres of their lives, for their own good and that of our nation.
Let me once again congratulate the organisers of this tournament for a job well done, second time around.
The tournament can only grow from strength to strength given your dedication, commitment and hard work.
I thank you.
Source: The Presidency
