South African court dismisses lawsuit by suspended Karate South Africa leaders — TimesLIVE
In South Africa, a court dismissed an application by Karate South Africa president Sonny Pillay and board members Malefetsane Hoaene and Lucinda Retz, who sought to overturn their suspension. The applicants were also ordered to pay punitive legal costs, TimesLIVE reports.
Judge Dinganus van den Bogert dismissed the application on Thursday, stating that the court lacks jurisdiction over the World Karate Federation, which is based in Spain. According to him, it was the international federation that decided to suspend the applicants and appoint new board members in accordance with its statutes.
Suspension of leadership
At the end of June, the World Karate Federation suspended the executive leadership of Karate South Africa amid concerns about the organization’s governance. The issues cited included financial irregularities, improper use of funds, and bullying.
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As the publication writes, a disciplinary hearing chaired by a judge is planned. The ruling also states that Karate South Africa members are obliged to comply with the national organization’s constitution, including the statutes, rules, directives, and decisions of the World Karate Federation.
The court’s assessment
The judge criticized the content of the court papers filed by the three applicants. He said their allegations concerning the new interim board members were unsubstantiated and, in his assessment, frivolous and vexatious.
The applicants claimed that the appointment of the new board had caused chaos in the country’s karate, and also accused their opponents of unlawfully taking over the organization, abusing their powers, and oppressing athletes and technical staff. The judge noted that the papers provided insufficient factual basis for these claims. He also observed that the applicants initially filed the case as urgent but later acknowledged the absence of urgency, describing this approach as an abuse of process.
