Disappointment as Joburg Open Pro-Am is rained out
23 February 2017
Johannesburg Executive Mayor Cllr Herman Mashaba said he was disappointed that the Joburg Open Pro-Am could not take place at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on Tuesday February 21 after the playing fields were water-logged and declared unplayable following torrential rains that pelted the city since the weekend.
This would have been Mayor Mashaba’s maiden Joburg Open Pro-Am since becoming Johannesburg’s first citizen in August 2016.
The popular Joburg Open, which is watched by millions of television viewers in 35 countries across the globe, is in its 11th-year.
“I was looking forward. I believe everyone here was looking forward,” Mayor Mashaba, who was dressed for the occasion in a long-sleeved golf shirt, said.
The Pro-Am features three amateur players alongside a professional golfer. Mayor Mashaba, an avid golfer, would have been joined by Selwyn Nathan-Cart and Refiloe Mokoena as amateurs, assisted by professional golfer Haydn Porteous.
Golf lovers came in large numbers to take part in the Pro-Am or watch their favourite golfers in action. Notable among them was former Robben Island political prisoner Andrew Mlangeni, who was dressed in a white golf shirt, a red jersey, a pair of white golf trousers and a golfers’ cap.
“I was a caddie before I went to Robben Island. I followed the sport even in my years on the island. When we got a chance, we played golf on the Island with improvised golf sticks and golf balls,” Mlangeni said.
Retired radio talkshow host John Robbie said he was a die-hard golf player. “I was looking forward to watching the mayor play. Maybe even asking to play with him in the future,” Robbie said.
Mashaba, a 19 handicap, said: “I thoroughly enjoy golf. It relaxes and gives me time to be with my wife and my regular players, although we spend most of the time laughing about how bad golfers we are.
“However, we have a great deal of fun for about five hours on a given Sunday in Pretoria, where I am a member,” he said.
Tuesday’s event attracted a number of well-known personalities, including Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa chairman Popo Molefe, former SA National Defence Force Chief of Staff General Siphiwe Nyanda, former Premier Soccer League Public Relations Officer Andrew Dipela and top businesswomen Louisa Mojela and Dr Thandi Ndlovu.
Mashaba said the Joburg Open was the biggest event in Johannesburg’s golfing calendar. “It creates a considerable interest and excitement among young people as they will be interacting and rubbing shoulders with some leading names in the local and international golfing sphere,” he said.
The event is sponsored by, among others, Hilton Hotels Group, Emirates, Audi, Pro Shop, PMG, the Gauteng Provincial Government and EOH.