Harare — WHILE most local women shy away from taking up karate as a sport, a woman from neighbouring Botswana has ventured into the male-dominated field and wants to turn into an expert in martial arts.

Forty-year-old Oitlogetse Gaorekwe has for the past few months been attending a local bino-ryu dojo, training under the style's Zimbabwean Branch Chief, Jairos Manjoro.

And Gaorekwe will soon get her first colours as a female karateka when she will be graded by the bino-ryu Grandmaster, S. Srinivasan of India, during his one-week visit to Zimbabwe at the end of next month.

She will, in fact, be one of the four Botswana nationals that will be among the bino-ryu students who will be upgraded by S. Srinivasan.

The other Batswanas that will be upgraded by the Indian Grandmaster are Gaorekwe's two children Yaone and Arona, and Omaatla Motshwaedi.

But it is "the breaking of the new ground" by Oitlogetse Gaorekwe that has sent tongues wagging in the local karate fraternity where few females take part in the sport.

And one would not believe that a 40-year-old woman, with a good body-size, will be among the students or members of bino-ryu who will be upgraded in Harare next month.

Whenever asked why she chose karate of all sporting disciplines, Gaorekwe just laughs and then answers: "For self-defence.

"Karate is a beautiful sport or art and I feel young, especially when I demonstrate katas (form fighting)."

Her trainer, Manjoro, was full of praise for the 40-year-old Batswana woman.

"During all the years I have been in karate, I have never had an ample female student or member with such capabilities of this woman.

"She calls herself a coward, but she is one of the best karatekas I train at one of my dojos. She is just a talented student.

"I hear she is also respected musically and that during the past year she was engaged by the Harare International School Teacher Band to perform the late Miriam Makeba's Pata Pata song and she made it a complete new hit," said Manjoro, who himself will be conferred with the title of Shihan (Master) by S. Srivinivasan during his visit to Zimbabwe next month.

S. Srinivasan's visit is definitely going to be one to remember as the bino-ryu students and members, including Gaorekwe and her two children, will demonstrate their skills of the art before their Grandmaster.