Following in her dad's footsteps, little Skye Mia Landy is the youngest member of the Skisa Northmead dojo to get graded.
The four-year-old joined the dojo in January this year when she was three and was graded earlier this month from a white belt to a red stripe.
Her mother, Preyenta Landy, who works in administration for Discovery, said they enrolled Skye in karate to take after her father, Tevin Landy. Skye's dad runs a call centre.
“My husband has a black belt in karate, so our baby had to follow that path. He also comes from an athletic family, so having Skye do karate keeps the legacy going. Another reason is because of the discipline it teaches a child, especially from a young age,” said the 26-year-old, of Phoenix.
She added that she was proud of her daughter for handling so much at a young age
“As working parents, Skye has to handle a lot. She has to wake up early with us and go to school and come home only when we finish work, which isn’t easy for a four-year-old but she handles it all so well. I am proud of her and I know she will make us more proud and take us places one day.”
Preyenta said aside from karate, Skye also loved being called "princess".
“Skye loves Elsa and she’s a real girly-girl. She also enjoys watching TV, being outdoors and going to restaurants for the food and to be in the play area."
Skye, who is in grade RR, said: “I like karate because I want to protect myself and fight.”
Sensei Lorraine Munsami, who is also Skye’s paternal grandmother, said that as the youngest of the dojo her granddaughter motivated the elder children and at the grading, she impressed everyone.
"I hope that some day she will achieve her protea colours and travel the world,” said Munsami.
She added that Skye would participate in the Skisa KwaZulu-Natal championship next month.
“This will be her first tournament, which is on July 7, at the Phoenix Youth Centre. Skye will participate in the 4 to 6 age category,” said Munsami.