Ex-Durban karate king returns to roots to share skills and training
In a traditional ritual of ‘the show must go on’ or ‘break a leg’ veteran karateka Timmy Singh kept an important date with her overseas-based grandmaster of martial arts at her dojo in Umhlanga Rocks.
One of the pioneering figures behind the phenomenal growth of the ancient art of martial arts in 1970s Durban, Vassie Naidoo, returned to his hometown and got stuck into sharing his worldwide knowledge of karate with Singh’s multiracial dojo in the north seaside resort town. Naidoo, aged 75, left his native Verulam and Durban in the 1970s to pursue his karate training in the Goju Ryu Karatedo style with its spiritual home in Japan, for better prospects in the United States of America, that became a far cry from the restrictions he left behind in apartheid South Africa. Within his senior status, Naidoo would be ranked with the honorific Sensei (8th Dan Black Belt) in SA and Shihan (9th Dan Black Belt) in Japan, USA and other parts of the karate world.
He arrived in Durban this month straight from a training and coaching visit to Mexico; and he is currently training at a dojo in Johannesburg before leaving for Santa Monica in California this week. ‘’The worldwide ban on air travel had kept me away from visiting South Africa since 2018. I am pleased to have come back to see that karate is still alive and kicking and there are so many styles and more and more boys, girls and teenagers are learning this art of self-defence and self-discipline. The high rise development of luxury hotels and flats and a bustling CBD on the sky line of Umhlanga and Durban North are a positive sign for progress and prosperity for my former hometown,’’ Naidoo said in an interview at The Oyster Box.
In the latest edition of the Pan-American Ryu Karatedo Seiwakai newsletter, Naidoo is ranked among the top five grandmasters – clearly the highest rank for a Durban-born martial arts exponent and chief instructor. ‘’It is amazing that my student and now an instructor Timmy Singh underwent a cataract operation to her right eye and was present a few days later when I conducted an advanced training session with her karatekas. She worked out with us,’’ he added. Singh travelled down memory lane and took up the story: “Vassie Naidoo started a karate club in downtown Durban in the 1970’s. It was a very exciting time for many of us as sporting clubs were few and far between. Having signed up for lessons at its inception, I fell in love with karate and have not looked back. Most of the time, I was the only woman in training.’’
In an interview, she said: “He was one of one of my mentors and instructors who accepted me as an equal member and always encouraged me to achieve excellence and high discipline. Since the years gone by, we have maintained a good relationship and I was honoured when he chose our dojo to share his expertise and experience in karate. He is a brilliant instructor and our club enjoyed a great opportunity of training with him during this visit.’’ Singh said the students found the session “beneficial and informative’’ and the chief instructor’s explanation of the art of self-defence was “on point’’. ‘’It was indeed a privilege to train with someone who trains in Japan every year and is so knowledgeable in the art of karate.’’ In the uMhlanga CBD to reunite with family, friends and martial arts personalities, Naidoo said he was pleased that Timmy Singh had gone beyond the call of karate training and motivation and had been running a non-profit community-based project called Action Against Abuse that continues to keep a sharp eye on abuse of women and the girl-child, child abuse, domestic violence and economic discrimination of women and rape.
