07 Jul 2015

One of Botswana’s most decorated karatekas; Kabelo Molefhe has decided to quit national team duties.

Molefhe, a Second Dan instructor who has grown through the ranks of the Kofukan karate style has fallen out of favour with the local karate mother body’s technical team after being dropped from the national team which is currently in camp and going through its paces to prepare for the upcoming All Africa Games penciled for Congo Brazzaville in September.

After a continually fractious bond with some national team selectors, Molefhe expressed disappointment at the infighting prevalent in the karate community and said the karatekas who were passionate about the sport were the only sufferers.

Quizzed on whether he was certain of his decision to drop national team participation Molefhe said it was a logical step that will see him grow in the sport but at a different pace.

At the height of his karate career Molefhe became the toast of the under 60kg soon after being selected for the national team in 2010. 

Wet behind the ears he then faced stiff opposition from the likes of Vicky Majama and Moses Jones who had already carved a niche as valuable athletes locally. He was identified by the then national team coach Sensei Mpho Bakwadi and went on to impress at his first regional competitive matches in the Zimbabwe Zone VI tournament.

 The team had sent a strong contingent with an array of talent in the mould of Ofentse Bakwadi and Oratile Caiphus amongst others.

Molefhe continued to impress even at the Cape Town Africa Cup where he was rewarded with a bronze for his efforts in team kumite before heading to Serbia for the World Karate Federation World cup. However the Botswana team was knocked off in the preliminaries but Molefhe became the only karateka who managed a draw against an Algerian athlete.
Molefhe went on to become the local 60kg champion beating the likes of Majama and Bakwadi in the division. He also travelled to Russia for the Kofukan world cup where he capped his fine performance with gold in individual kumite and a bronze for team kumite.

His last performance in 2011 was at the Zone VI tournament but a few months after the tournament he was not selected for the All Africa Games which were played in Mozambique.  Last year he was crowned the under 67kg champion in the local karate league. 

 His latest international match was in Norway in March when he scooped gold in the less than 67kg individual kumite. ENDS