Gentle nurse strikes gold at karate qualifier
MAMOKETE Moleme may look like your average Klerksdorp Tshepong Hospital Complex health worker, but on the weekends this mild-mannered nurse trades the wards for the ring as a karate champion.
Moleme, 36, recently won four medals and a trophy at a karate tournament in Kimberley’s Mayibuye Multipurpose Centre in the Northern Cape.
The event was part of a selection process to see which South African fighters will represent the country at a tournament in Thailand next year.
Moleme won a gold medal in the best female fighter category and silver for best karate performance.
“I hope that this is a start of great things to come,” said Moleme.
“I feel happy as a sportswoman and this gives me pride and confidence.
“I have put in a lot of hard work and determination in order to win,” she added.
Moleme hopes she can take what she has learnt about fitness out of the ring and into the hospital by developing a healthy lifestyle programme for fellow healthcare workers.
Klerksdorp Tshepong Hospital spokesman Nico Masiu said Moleme had submitted a proposal to the hospital’s management to open an aerobics club to help employees improve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Moleme, an intensive care unit nurse, said she hoped to include cardio fitness and weight-loss activities as part of the programme.
She also hoped the club would help some of the staff get over the hang-ups that many may have about going to a gym.
Some studies showed that the way people feel about themselves and their bodies can determine whether they decide to get fit, Moleme said. – Health-e News
I want to help my co-workers benefit from what I learnt in the ring