MJ Li is the first South African inducted into the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
Supplied/Muhammad Chafeker
- South African kung fu champion “MJ Li” Chafeker has made history as the first from SA inducted into the prestigious World Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
- Trained by grandmasters at the Shaolin Temple, Chafeker says true champions rise above adversity and focus on self-improvement rather than external validation.
- Through his MJ Li Kung Fu Foundation and international youth championships, he continues to mentor future martial artists.
A South African kung fu champion has been given the highest form of recognition in his field, by being inducted into the World Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
Muhammad Junaid “MJ Li” Chafeker is the first in the country and the first African Muslim to be bestowed the honour, awarded to him in the United States this month.
Honoured in Atlantic City, Chafeker received an Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee certificate, a champion belt inscribed with his name, an official ring, an inductee gold medal, and the official inductee trophy.
Upon returning to South Africa, he received a warm welcome from supporters and members of the kung fu and broader martial arts community.
He said it had been a long and fulfilling journey leading up to this point.
MJ Li received the Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee certificate, the Hall of Fame champion belt inscribed with his name, the World Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame official ring, the inductee gold medal, and the official inductee trophy.
Supplied/Muhammad Chafeker
“My journey goes back just over 30 years,” he told News24. “I started martial arts training in Cape Town, where my late dad took me to a formal school in Rocklands, Mitchells Plain, for martial arts training.
“Training at the Shaolin Temple more than 20 years ago opened up a massive world for me, where I was trained by some of China’s greatest modern-day grandmasters and shifu.”
Chafeker added that one of the important things he learnt in his journey towards success was resilience and consistency.
“A champion is not only made on the podium with the gold medal around his neck, but a champion is one who can come back from adversity, come back from negativity, and rise above all of those conditions and circumstances to essentially prove your worth to yourself and not to others.”
His hall of fame status marks a significant turning point, not only for his 30-year-old martial arts career, but also for South Africa on the global kung fu stage.
“This induction places me alongside the global elite of the martial arts world. Don the Dragon Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock, Benny the Jet, Bill Superfoot Wallace – there have been many names that have been inducted into this Premier Hall of Fame,” he said.
“I’ve got hundreds of students in the Western Cape. I’ve got students in Gauteng. I’ve got students in Tshwane. We’re opening up a training chapter in the Eastern Cape as well.”
Chafeker said he believed that mentoring upcoming martial artists was important to ensure that the future of kung fu in the country is bright, which he does through his NPO, the MJ Li Kung Fu Foundation.
READ | From beat patrol to boot camp: How this Mitchells Plain cop keeps kids off the streets
He added that this achievement was not the end for him and that he would continue giving back to the community by hosting the annual international youth kung fu championship in Cape Town.
He said he was grateful to his late parents, his wife, and his two sons for helping him get this far.
“My parents were activists and humanitarians who taught me to use my skills and values to improve the lives of others, because when you improve the lives of others, you often become the best version of yourself.”
Participating in martial arts had taught him many lifelong lessons, Chafeker added.
“The lesson that I’ve learned in kung fu and in Chinese martial arts is that a true master dwells within, whom only you can choose to liberate.
“Champions and superheroes exist among us, and we all have the power to become the best version of ourselves.”
If you have a good story to tell, email feelgood@news24.com.
