24 Jul 2025

The Botswana senior ladies’ karate team is in Abuja Nigeria to slug it out for the 2025 African Karate Championship.

Botswana and 31 other African nations would descend the iconic Moshood Abiola multipurpose national stadium in Abuja today as the continent’s finest karatekas battle for supremacy in what promises to be a display of skill, discipline and sportsmanship. Botswana national team coach, sensei Peter Molefhe left the country with three athletes namely Lethabo Sekano, Centy Kgosikoma and Lesego Masimola to the Union of Africa Karate Federations (UFAK) sanctioned championship.

The team would be vying for continental glory and most importantly final qualification spots for the world senior individual championships pencilled for Cairo, Egypt later this year. Speaking from their base in Abuja today, head coach sensei Molefhe expressed optimism in his team.

He said despite not preparing to the required standards owing to several logistical challenges beyond control they were ready to take on the continent’s toughest opposition teams in the mould of north African giants such as Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Morocco. He said teams like Egypt had brought a contingent of more than 100 athletes and also fielding several world champions.

Sensei Molefhe added that his charges had been working hard at training and were raring to compete for continental honours. He said Sekano and Kgosikoma were fresh from the closely contested Independence celebration cup in Angola recently. He said the team was inspired and motivated because they hardly ever fail to bring silverware at any competition.

National team captain Sekano echoed same sentiments highlighting the highly spirited mood in camp. She said they worked extremely hard in training though it could had been made better and pushed each other over the limit. The trio had teamed up in the past and brought home glory.

They participated at the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) region 5 karate championship in Durban in 2022 and won silver. Sekano and Masimola also teamed up in Spain earlier this year. Sekano is ranked fourth in Africa and 96^th in world karate federation rankings. She has achieved considerable fortune in regional and national tournaments. She is expected to lead the team to glory in Nigeria.

The UFAK 2025 edition follows last year’s championship which were held as part of the Africa Games in Accra, Ghana. Botswana ladies team comprising of Sekano, Masimola and Charleene Magalie scooped bronze in the female team kata and qualified for the world cup in Pamplona in Spain. Sekano won bronze in the female individual kumite under 68kg.

Now daggers are drawn in Abuja where the Botswana karate team is expected to face tough opposition of over 1 000 athletes in top form after participating in respective national and regional championships. Kgosikoma will take part in the U55kg kumite, Masimola U61kg while Sekano will participate in the U68kg individual kumite. The trio will team up for the ladies’ team kata, team kumite and Kgosikoma will also slug it out in the elite female individual kata. ENDS