SHIHAN Welcome Ngaleka believes that the youth can be world-class stars, if their sports mentors could motivate them all the time.
Shihan is a Japanese word that means ‘master instructor’. Ngaleka was born in St Albans. He told PE Express that when he was young, he played for Home Boys RFC.
His elder brother, who was also a rugby player, encouraged him to participate in sport – rugby in particular.
Ngaleka said, “The person who encouraged and introduced me to sport was my elder brother.
“He supported me all the time and made sure I attended all my training sessions. But in 1977, I decided to join the karate dojo under Sensei Jimmy Mzini and Mbulelo Phillip, at Zwide Stadium.”
Ngaleka thanked Mzini and Phillip for supporting him all the time.
“Under Sensei Mzini and Phillip, I took part in the tournaments which were organised at that time. I participated in tournaments which took place here in Port Elizabeth and in East London. When I achieved the second and third places in those tournaments, I loved the sport of karate.
“The good mentorship from Mzini and Phillip made me the person who I am,” said Ngaleka.
He has developed the world class students who included senior fighters which became local, national and international champions like Ndumiso Dyantyies, who attended the 7th World Karate Championships in Japan in 1999.
Ngaleka takes pride in the provincial and national stars whom he has produced including Mashwabada Mbikwana, Mfundo Sibongile, Silindokuhle Leze, Siyabonga Rawana and the late Thembani Ngaleka, who was a national fighter.
Welcome Ngaleka said, “The only challenge that I do experience is the financial support to make it possible for me to attend all the international camps and other events in Japan, where I can acquire more knowledge in the form of attending senior instructors’ seminars.”
Despite the financial challenges, Ngaleka scooped a top kyokushin karate award in South Africa during a function which took place in Cape Town in 2003.
He also received a top instructor award and a chairperson’s award during the Motherwell Sport Forum annual awards function in 2017.
He said, “I would like to encourage all the senior instructors, sports mentors and branch chiefs of the Nelson Mandela region to make sure that our young fighters and our kids are exposed to the sport, in particular karate, irrespective of their financial constraints.
“The instructors have the potential to influence our children to be the world stars.”
