From 25 November, the nation will once again aim to shine the spotlight on the scourge of gender-based violence through the 16 days of activism campaign for no violence against women and children. For organisations at the coalface of dealing with this challenge, it is an important time for education and garnering support from the public at large as well as government and corporates to build strength and enhance impact in order to build resilience in society to stand up to this challenge.
For this reason, MOT South Africa is excited about the announcement of its partnership with the Africa Cares Tennis tournament, which is bringing to South Africa the legendary tennis icons: Venus Williams and Martina Hingis for matches on 18 and 19 December 2021 in Johannesburg.
Martina Hingis said, âGender-based Violence continues to be a widespread problem. I look forward to participating in the Africa Cares Tennis Challenge to help not only raise awareness on gender-based violence but help encourage a change in violent behaviour.â
MOT is the Norwegian word for courage and this is the underpinning mission of the organisation, which is to create a safer society by strengthening the youthâs robustness through empowering them to have the courage to live, courage to care and courage to say no.
âHaving women like Venus and Martina add their voice to our mission is a big step in getting the message of hope and courage out there and is an invaluable opportunity for us,â says Viola Manuel, Country Director of MOT South Africa.
âWe are honoured to share the platform with this amazing tournament that not only helps support our fundraising goals, but gives our voice and cause a reach into homes and spaces where it might not ordinarily reach,â adds Viola.
âBehaviour change is vital if we are to truly have a chance at eradicating this scourge of violence against our women and young people and we believe this behaviour change has its roots in the courage to say no on so many levels,â continues Viola.
After a long period of no sports, due to the global covid-19 pandemic, tennis fans will be treated to two of the most successful players in the history of womenâs tennis right here in South Africa. The Africa Cares Tennis tournament will also feature a host of other internationally celebrated tennis stars who will thrill tennis fans over the 2 days.
The events will be open to vaccinated people only. All Covid-19 event protocols will be strictly observed and adhered to, ensuring the safety of all attendees and participants. There will only be two thousand (2000) premium hospitality tickets available per day for purchase, complying with the maximum number of people allowed for outdoor events. Tickets will be available for purchase on the Ticketpro (https://www.ticketpros.co.za) ticketing platform.
Some of the other players who will be participating in the event include Romanian tennis star and grand slam winner Simona Halep, and our very own South African tennis sensation Kholowam Montsi who will participate in the mixed doubles segment as part of the tournamentâs initiative to also promote local players.
âWe are grateful to the event partners, Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture & Recreation for their role in creating this platform through which we will do a number of activations to empower particularly our young women to develop constructive relationships that will help them lead and build sustainable communities rather than be victims,â concludes Viola.
