But in the middle of this, the home's head, Tuelo ‘Fish’ Masilo, has remained humble and is full of life despite his advanced age. The veteran karateka has a dojo in his yard. Upon approach, Masilo settles into his chair, immediately asks who sent Yours Truly and giggles. The man is a sport legend; a former footballer who earned the nickname ‘Fish’, a former boxer, known as the Black Cat in the 1960s and 1970s, and also a Fifth Dan black belt karateka. He is still a chief instructor at JKA Botswana. Masilo was inducted into the South Africa Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2004.
He tells MmegiSport that just like any boy, he grew up herding his parents' cattle in Tshidilamolomo. “When I was 16years [old], I decided to relocate to South Africa and settled in Vryburg in 1955. I decided to move after realising that I did not have a future in Botswana. It was not easy being in South Africa. Remember those were the times of apartheid, the Boers had a policy of strict segregation and discrimination. I was lucky to be employed by a white man in a furniture company, who was feared by the Boers, which made it easy for me to get a driver’s licence in 1955. I am not educated but I never worked in a mine. I was a fast learner and my boss liked me, he even taught me to change oil and fuel his aircraft,” he said. Masilo said the ill-treatment he received from the Boers forced him to take sport seriously and in 1976, he combined boxing and wrestling. He explained that combining boxing and wrestling was a way to protect himself against bullies, especially the Boers. “Even the miners gave us trouble when they came home for the holidays. I had to find a way to protect myself. I started to go to the gym, using a punching bag as well as using a sack filled with sand in the bush. My father thought I had gone mad because the moment I started training, I was like a possessed person. But I was not free at wrestling, the Boers used me as their practice target. In 1959, I relocated to Kimberly, which is where I quit wrestling because I was not allowed to wrestle against whites. I decided to focus on boxing and I travelled around the country as a professional boxer. When my daughter, Connie was born, I quit boxing and joined karate. I was trained by one Chinese man in Kimberly,” he said. Masilo said he trained with white men, but if he was not strong enough, he could have quit as it was hard work. He said during all that time, he was thinking about moving back to Botswana.
Masilo said he picked a knee injury but when it came to training, he locked his mind and did not feel the pain. The 88-year-old Masilo said what makes karate special is that there is no age restriction, unlike boxing where there is a retirement age. “In 1976 I relocated back to Botswana with my wife, Margaret and my children, and we stayed in Lobatse. Connie is the third[-born] child, my firstborn is Atosie and the second born was Moses, he passed on in 2021, almost at the same time when Connie lost her husband, Shona. My Margaret passed on in 2013; it was a difficult period in my life, but I had to be strong. The Bible tells us that stress is a disease, it cannot affect you if you believe in yourself. Karate also carried me through. I continued producing many students in South Africa and Botswana,” he said. Masilo said karate is like school, it instils discipline and makes students excel in their studies. He said the most important thing in karate is for the trainers to teach their students to be united and not be divided by their styles. He added that his wish is for senior karatekas to work together. “In karate, you do not have to teach karate but show how it is done. Unfortunately, these days people speak karate, but they do not show how it is done. I was even training some women from Woodhall, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak,” he said. Masilo joined politics and became a Botswana National Front (BNF) Woodhall councillor between 1989 and 1994. He pointed out that his interest in politics was influenced by experiences from apartheid. “Politics is a good thing, the only challenge is lack of discipline. Politicians insult each other and it does not have dignity. Connie was also against it, she advised me to quit. I only served one term, not that I was failing but I did not like the behaviour of other politicians. Even today when I listen to parliamentary debates, it is not what I expect to hear, I get tired. I like something that builds character. That is why I never quit karate. It is unfortunate that these days they are turning karate into politics. We should correct that,” a disappointed Masilo said.
Regarding the famous Connie, Masilo said she grew up with a love for modelling. “Connie was Miss Ellerines back in the day. We used to sit in the living room with her mother, they would walk down the ramp, and we would judge them like at a beauty contest. After completing her Form Five, she went to compete in the Black Like Me beauty contest in South Africa. I advised her to try and find something to do that side. By then Connie was supposed to go for Tirelo Sechaba, a national service that I did not understand. I felt that they wanted to frustrate my child. She has always been a disciplined child, I never spanked her, she never fought with other kids, and I taught her karate,” the proud father said. Masilo can still drive even all the way to South Africa. During the interview, he indicated that he had a trip to Mafikeng the following day. “I am still fine, even the way I think, I am still fine. Maybe when you look at me you see an old man. Well, I do not have a special diet but I like my meal with onions, garlic, and carrots. I eat them raw and I can even have a smoothie with two [of those] items. There is something special in those vegetables,” he said.
FACT FILE
Full names: Tuelo ‘Fish’ Masilo
Date of birth: May 22, 1936
Place of birth: Tshidilamolomo Residence: Woodhall, Lobatse
Style: JKA Botswana
Belt: Fifth Dan
