August 3, 2006
By Ndaba Dlamini
CITY officials, executives and businessmen will tee off at Killarney Golf Course on Friday, 11 August to raise funds in the annual mayoral charity golf day.
Participating in the event with the City's executive mayor Amos Masondo, will be managers of the various City departments and utilities, and representatives of financial institutions that provide services to the City.
"This will be an opportunity for individuals and companies like banks, retailers and other business partners the City deals with on a day-to-day basis to support the City in a worthy cause," says Leon Plutsick CEO of Easygolf, the company responsible for promoting the event.
Companies will buy one or two four-balls - a four-person group that plays the round together - to take part.
Although about 50 companies have already booked for the event, not all are involved in playing a round of golf. "Some companies will be sponsors and some will present donations on the day of between R1 000 to R110 000," Plutsick. says.
Particpants at a previous Mayoral Charity Golf Day
Masondo is expected to tee off at 7.45am heading the field of the "who's who of Joburg". The day ends at 5pm, after which a prize-giving ceremony will be held.
Then it's off to the Sandton Convention Centre where the participants will attend a gala dinner and auction, according to Plutsick. "Sporting memorabilia, air tickets and the next Springboks game tickets will be auctioned during the gala proceedings."
Masondo will present a cheque to a charity of his choice later in the year. Last year, the benefiting charity was a mayoral project called Buckets of Love. An amount of R632 000 was raised.
Joburg Open
Next year's event, says Plutsick, will be bigger and form part of an inaugural week-long golf tournament - the Joburg Open - expected to be as popular as the annual Pick 'n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge.
"The Joburg Open will be a professional tournament which we plan to hold in the third week of January next year.
"It is meant to showcase the City as an economic hub to the world and professional golfers, both women and men, from abroad will be participating."
The inaugural Joburg Open will be held under the auspices of the Sunshine Tour, says Plutsick, and will be "a four-day golf tournament where big guns" will battle it out for top honours.
The tournament will be held at the Royal Johannesburg Golf Club in Linksfield.
The event will not just be about golf, but a whole week of festivities where Johannesburg will partner Gauteng in marketing the city and its people. "We want to use golf to improve people's lives," says Plutsick.
At the end of the Joburg Open the mayor will break the ground in either Alexandra or Soweto to mark the start of the building of a driving range. "More facilities will be added each year to the driving range, which will be used for golf training and other related activities," Plutsick said.
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