Southbourne Primary School grade 2 pupil, Luminathi Mntanase, has placed the school on the map by recently representing South Africa at the Namibia National Kurash Federation.
The 9-year-old who is part of the Kazoku Judo club is the only participant from the Eastern Cape who had honoured the invitation to attend the three-day Kurash event in Namibia.
Principal, Marelise Bekker, said Mntanase came home with one gold and two silver medals. “We are very proud of him for representing the school and the country at such a young age. May he continue doing the Halal.”
According to information provided to the school, “Kurash is a sport of the folk wrestling discipline which is primarily practised in the regions of Central Asia. The objective of the sport is to grab hold of the opponent by the towel around their waist, and throw them on to the ground on their back. A match starts with both fighters in a salutation position called Tazim.”
Participants can score points through three tactical moves: The Halal, Yambosh and the Chala. The Halal is a tactical move that directly assists the wrestler to win the match
“Penalties are imposed on moves that violate the rules. A maximum of two penalties (Tambik and Dakk) are allowed, and the third penalty (Girrom) results in a disqualification. At the end of a match, the wrestler with the most number of points is the winner.” Mntanase now holds a red belt in Kurash
