The South African Golf Association (SAGA) will dedicate the upcoming South African Junior Inter-Provincial Golf Championship to the memory of the country’s first democratically elected President, Nelson Mandela.<\/p>\n
SAGA president Andr\u00e9 Pieterse paid tribute to the icon, who recently passed away at his Houghton home, at the age of 95.<\/p>
“We learned with great sadness about the passing of our country’s former President,” Pieterse said.<\/p>\n
“On behalf of amateur golfers in South Africa, we pass along our sincere condolences to the family of Madiba.<\/p>
“Although we have been preparing ourselves, his passing still came as a great shock and SAGA joins people all over the world in remembering this icon of our times.”<\/p>\n
Mandela believed that sport could do more to unite a nation than politics could, and everyone in the sporting industry respected him for his relentless efforts to unite the sporting codes in South Africa, in order to create a united and proud nation.<\/p>\n
“Who will ever forget the sight of our former President wearing the number six Springbok shirt at the final match of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and hoisting the trophy with Francois Pienaar after South Africa beat New Zealand?” Pieterse added.<\/p>\n
“Madiba believed that sport should be employed to provide the foundations for a healthy future for all the youth.<\/p>\n
“That is why we want to remind our junior golfers that sport is a great force for unity and to honour Madiba’s legacy by dedicating our South African Junior Inter-Provincial Championship to the memory of a man who dedicated his life to bring about peace and equality for everyone in this nation.”<\/p>\n
The SA Junior IPT tees off at Bellville Golf Club on Monday, December 9, and will see 13 provincial teams from across the country competing in two divisions for the coveted A-Division title and B-Division promotion.<\/p>\n