Kick in the chops Karate South Africa facing attacks on various fronts

But the federation says it has now cleared its debt

Karate SA (KSA) insist they are in financial health after their bank account was recently attached for a R197,000 debt.

A notice of attachment in execution, in possession of the Sunday Times, stated that the sheriff of the court seized KSA’s account at the Absa branch in Durban North on behalf of Leon Beech, a former president of the federation, who was claiming costs after winning high court litigation against the sports body.

According to a handwritten note on the document, the account “must be frozen until payment is made to the sheriff of the court”.

Acting general secretary Leonardo Ciutto said KSA had been blindsided by the attachment. “Without notice to KSA the successful litigant issued a writ of execution attaching KSA funds in its current account to settle his taxed costs.”

He denied KSA’s account was frozen, but was blocked after the treasurer noticed “a suspicious fraudulent transaction” that turned out to be the attachment.

“The successful litigant’s taxed costs [have] been settled in full by KSA,” Ciutto added, saying KSA had funds in additional accounts.

The attachment came as the federation faced criticism for various actions in recent times, from its handling of its Cape Town region being placed under administration — allegedly on the instruction of KSA president Sonny Pillay — to forcing all karateka to buy a particular brand of mask for R150 to compete or train.

The mask retails from Damascus for R89, but Ciutto insisted the sports body was not making any profit. “The additional cost of R61 covers the KSA embroidery branding, handling and courier charges to the various

KSA provinces. No member of the KSA technical team and KSA [executive] has a relationship or a vested interest in Damascus,” he added.

KSA scrapped a planned tournament in Durban at the end of the month because of the requirements of Covid-19 testing. “It is too burdensome and costly for KSA’s athletes and officials to be Covid-19 tested.”

KSA was threatened with a separate high court action after the Karate Association of the Western Cape (KAWC) placed the Cape Town region (KSACT) under administration in March.

KSACT applied to have the provincial body’s action overturned, and soon afterwards KSA ordered KAWC to lift the administration on the grounds it was “procedurally unfair”, because KSACT had not been given a hearing to respond to the reasons.

KAWC president John Daniels said KSACT was placed under administration after some of its members had disrupted the body’s AGM on March 14.

KSACT, in its founding affidavit, referred to draft minutes from a KSA NEC meeting at the Stellenbosch Protea hotel on March 7, where Pillay told Daniels to place the Cape Town region under administration.

Point five of the draft minutes reads: “Daniels … was instructed by the KSA president with placing [KSACT] under administration.”

Daniels denied getting such a directive, and Pillay said the “purported draft minutes” had “never been provided to the KSA executive or tabled, ratified and signed off at a KSA executive meeting”. “KSA is currently investigating who drafted those purported minutes.”

He also accused KSACT of going to court prematurely and added the region had been problematic for a while.

“In the last two years the region called KSACT has consistently been disruptive in the administration of KSA and hostile towards KSA. No other regions or provinces conduct themselves in such a manner and are generally happy with the administration of karate in SA,” said Pillay.

“KSACT consistently breaches the KSA statutes and policies.”

KSACT consistently breaches the KSA statutes and policies

Sonny Pillay

KSA president