Kicking nun Robert, starts celibacy training
Thato Kala | Friday October 17, 2014 14:21
Two years ago, Robert, who already had hauled over 150 gold medals, and enjoyed black belt prestige, announced she had set her sights on becoming a Roman Catholic nun.
Mmegi Sport can confirm that she started on that journey early this week.
A nun is a woman who has taken special vows and dedicated her life to the service of the church and its people. Nuns lead a totally religious life.
“It looks like she has taken a deep look inside herself and seems convinced that she is cut out to be a nun. She feels a strong calling of faith,” a close friend confirmed.
Robert has been inactive from the sport in the last two years.
Her karate recruit, Loago Potter Kamogenge, who has had a decent start to his karate career, admitted her move had affected him slightly.
“It has affected me. She was my inspiration. Each time we both went for competitions and she won, which she always did, I felt compelled to do the same.
She always influenced me to love the sport and train hard. Even after my eye injury she convinced me not to quit but now she’s pulled back. There is no one to give me that thrill to go do my best in the ring,” said a saddened Kamogenge.
Despite that, the 20-year-old said he was happy she was going to live fully for Christ.
“I know how she wants this having known her and understood her deeply. She has long wanted to be a nun and doesn’t listen when you try to change her mind. It’s good she is doing something she loves and has always dreamt of,” he said.
Robert said she was not ready to speak about the new journey, but would do so at a later stage.
The training period is a time of introspection when one decides they really want to be a nun.
The first step she has to take is making provisional vows. Once her training period ends and she is sure she wants to become a nun, she will have to take temporary vows of chastity, celibacy and obedience.
These temporary vows last for up to nine years. Thereafter, she will take her final vows and be ready to lead a totally religious life.
In her last interview on the issue, Robert said members of her family, who are devout Christians, had gone as far fasting and praying to put an end to her ‘madness’.
But, none of this changed her mind.
“I wanted to die a karateka but in 2014, I might be joining the convent – I want to become a nun. I’m not sure if they will allow me to continue with karate,” Robert said at the time.
She added: “If karate has to take me away from the call of God, I will leave it.” Robert grew up attending a Pentecostal church. She left Christ Embassy while doing Form Five at St Josephs to join the Roman Catholic Church.
The 23-year-old claims she has only been involved in one relationship that started at Standard Five, but was never in a serious one. She has previously claimed she is still a virgin.
Her medal haul includes two gold medals at her first karate competition – the 2006 Zone Six Championships in Zimbabwe. Her most memorable year in the sport was 2006 when she raked in 12 individual medals.