The national body revealed last month it had reached the decision due to the inability of the KSA to adhere to the unconditional reinstatement of suspended officials and the merged inclusion of full contact karate.

KSA argues, however, that no final agreement was reached and the decision to de-register its membership was taken without a formal notice outlining the allegations and without an official hearing.

KSA chief executive Carlos Vilela insists the KSA requested a meeting with SASCOC Board member Jayce Naidoo on or around June 28 to report back on the way forward for full contact karate.

Vilela claims a meeting has not been scheduled to date.

"For a long time now we have tried to explain to SASCOC that karate, a sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through the World Karate Federation (WKF), has many styles and schools of technique, but remains one sport unified under the WKF with one set of rules for all participants," he added.

"That said, various styles of karate from time to time hold their own internal friendship tournaments where they may use modified rules peculiar to their group.

"However, all official championships, being international or national, have to deploy the rules of the WKF, an organisation open to, and including, all styles of karate."

KSA has asked SASCOC to either withdraw the resolution or alternatively delay the implementation thereof until the outcome of a meeting between the relevant parties is reached.

KSA has also declared a dispute with SASCOC regarding its de-registration and requested SASCOC to have the matter settled on an urgent basis by means of an adjudicator agreed upon by both parties.

Failing this, the KSA says it will approach the High Court for appropriate relief.

"KSA has been a loyal WKF member, resisting pressure from SASCOC to accept other dissident karate groups in the country, which would have been a violation of the WKF statutes and jeopardised KSA membership to the WKF," WKF President Antonio Espinós stated in a letter addressed to SASCOC chief executive Tubby Reddy.

"KSA’s decision [to resist] was the correct one as SASCOC has for several years attempted to impose measures on South African karate that come from a lack of understanding of what karate is and how the sport is structured."

In May, the SASCOC Board issued directives to the KSA towards the efficient functioning of their structures.

The KSA were directed to grant reinstatement to individuals who were implicated in a forensic audit report of karate, given the fact that the public prosecutor declined to prosecute the individuals, citing insufficient evidence.

In July, the Board set-up a three-person committee, chaired by Kobus Marais alongside Jerry Segwaba and Merrill King, to call in the karate leadership and investigate the reasons for the non-compliance.

The KSA was also asked to set up a coordinating committee with the view to it becoming a member of SASCOC, thereby ensuring that full contact karate gets a place within the national body.



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August 2015: SASCOC de-registers Karate South Africa's membership