23 Feb 2020

Former national team kata and kumite champion, Thato Malunga-Kago has decided to close the episode of her illustrious sporting career that has lasted 21 years.

Malunga announced in an interview Thursday that she decided to close the curtain on her colourful career to focus on grooming future karatekas.

Encouraged by her parents to take up karate at a tender age, Malunga’s determination and commitment to karate has undoubtedly paid off.

Having had patience, discipline and perseverance, the main virtues of a karateka, she amassed every medal on the table.

In 1999, Malunga landed at the SSG police camp to start her first karate lessons under the watchful eye of the late sensei Jonathan Phiri, whom she said laid her karate career foundation.

She admits that she was inspired by the likes of Goitseone Mongologa from the Kofukan karate stable.

When she received her first national team call-up in 2003, Malunga grew in confidence that she was to emulate Mongologa.

The technical execution of kata or coordinated karate moves by the youngster was second to none and she soon tasted her shodan (first black belt) in 2006 while at Kgale Hill Junior Secondary School.
Her merits include gold medals from World Karate Federation (WKF) sanctioned tournaments, including world championships and continental championships.

In 2006, she scooped gold at the Kofukan World Championships in Denmark, and a silver two years later at the same championship in Portugal.

She also took part in the 2014 and 2016 world champs in France but with little success.

One of her defining moments was when she trained in Belgium in 2017 under the guidance of former European karate champion, Junior Levefre.

Levefre is a sixth dan Belgian-Croatian black belt who has an impressive resume in the sport.

Locally, Malunga became junior karate champion for both kata and kumite and later graduated to the senior ranks where she scored equal success.

She was a regional champion for zone six for the entire period she was with the junior team, and later 10 years with the senior team.

In 2011, Malunga scooped three medals in team kata, individual kumite and kata at the All Africa Games in Mozambique.

The following year, she won bronze in the African karate federation championship in South Africa and defended the title the following year in Congo Brazzaville.

She was voted the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) junior sportswoman for three consecutive periods between 2006 and 2008. She was also nominated several times for the BNSC sportswoman of the year award. While she takes up coaching for now, Malunga would also focus on her job as a police officer.

Malunga got married to former karateka Kaene Kago last year. ENDS