Top golf blow for City
Funds dry up for March’s Africa Open
EAST London has lost the annual Africa Open golf tournament scheduled for March next year.
This development was confirmed by Sunshine Tour spokesman Duncan Cruickshank, who said yesterday: “Essentially the promoter hasn’t been able to raise funds. It’s not happening until the promoter can put together enough sponsorship for it to happen.”
Promoter Mbali Ngqula said: “For the moment, the Africa Open is on hold pending meetings with current sponsors and stakeholders.”
The event is a co-sanctioned tournament between the South African and European golf tours, ensuring participation by top international players.
Both the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Board and Buffalo City Metro have sponsored the tournaments in previous years.
EL Golf Club general manager Brenden Fourie also confirmed the event had been removed from the club’s programme following discussions with the Sunshine Tour.
While he did not know the reason for the cancellation, Fourie said the club was still awaiting payment from the promoters for the 2015 tournament.
Ngqula confirmed that payment arrangements for a “deficit” were in place and “will be settled in early 2016”.
She said that while full funding for the 2015 tournament had been in place, the promoters had to absorb the “unexpected deficit” caused by exchange rate fluctuations.
Nobody involved in the tournament would provide details on the financial outlay necessary to organise the event, citing confidentiality issues. The only confirmed figure is the
million in prize-money (R15.4million) which is put up.
With hospitality and logistics expenses, the total costs of holding the event could be almost double that figure and it is not known what percentage is covered by sponsorship contributions.
The value of broadcasting rights could also not be determined yesterday.
Cruickshank was at pains to say the removal of the event from the Sunshine Tour was “temporary” and that it could be added to the tour in November next year if sponsorship were confirmed.
However, without any prospect of additional funding from current sponsors or a completely new sponsor in the wings to underwrite the event, there appears little likelihood of the city holding on to the event.
Cruickshank said “the bulk” of the sponsorship contributions was sourced from within the Eastern Cape and with the exchange rate, “sponsors now need to come to the party in a major way”.
He said there was big interest in retaining the Africa Open in East London but that the tournament could probably only happen in November next year at the start of the next Sunshine Tour series, to piggy-back on another local golf tournament.
Ngqula said she was reviewing the international status of the tournament, with the possibility of it reverting to a national championship event.
Buffalo City Metro did not respond to queries yesterday while ECPTB said that it had not issued an “expression of interest” for golf tournaments for 2016.
Border-Kei Chamber of Business director Les Holbrook said that while the tournament had value for the metro and the province, there were serious questions around the affordability of the event and whether the current sponsors could provide the financial backing required.
“It’s probably beyond the reach of BCM,” Holbrook said, adding, however, that it was heartening that the Sunshine Tour organisers were prepared to consider having the event later in the year. — rayh@dispatch.co.za