Karate dojo fails to meet deadline

MOSAH MOKGANEDI
Correspondent | Friday September 3, 2010 00:00

 

The ablution block is complete while what is remaining for the main hall is fitting of doors, windows, electricity and inner glazing. The sewer system is not connected.

Botswana Karate Association (BOKA) vice president, David Mathe said the contractor for the dojo had challenges especially with the sewerage connection. He said initially they thought the Botswana Football Association (BFA) sewerage was nearby and they could connect to it.

But they have since realised that what they thought was a sewer line is a drainage. This means that the contractor has to find an alternative connection at the National Stadium.

It is expected that the connection works will start next week and will take a fortnight to complete. Mathe said they expect the whole project to be completed at the end of this month.

BOKA is still looking for sponsors to extend the dojo, which is being built in four phases. At least P10 million is needed to complete all the phases.

The completion of the hall will come as a relief especially for national teams that do not have a proper training venue. The construction of the dojo comes at a time when the karate team is preparing for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

It is hoped that other indoor sports codes will benefit from the centre. The Japanese embassy sponsored the initial phase of the project with over P600,000.

The donation was made through the Grand Aid for Cultural Grassroots Projects Scheme (GACGP).

The embassy will dispatch an instructor to BOKA through the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) to help in the development of karate once the facility is complete.