Where even a mayor can get ‘klapped’: Mitchells Plain aces Wimbledon Street Tennis Day

Hundreds of families gathered for the fifth annual Mitchells Plain Wimbledon Street Tennis Day during the school holidays.

The tradition started five years ago as a way for kids to play during lockdown, and has grown into a fun day out that also celebrated the suburb’s 50th anniversary.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis was among scores of familiar faces who took part in the tennis matches and lost to 16-year-old tennis player Zariya Jouber.

Laughter, tennis racquets and friendly competition were the order of the day at the Mitchells Plain Tennis Club on Tuesday as hundreds of children and their families gathered for the annual Mitchells Plain Wimbledon Street Tennis Day.

The event, which also celebrated the suburb’s 50th anniversary, gave youngsters a safe and active space to enjoy the school holidays.

With tennis balls flying across the courts, music filling the air and children cheering each other on, the annual event transformed the club into a festival of sport, laughter and community spirit.

Now in its fifth year, the event has become one of Mitchells Plain’s most anticipated community traditions, held every year during the Wimbledon Championships.

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What started as a simple knockabout between friends during the Covid-19 pandemic has grown into a celebration of sport, family and community pride.

Founder Rodney Brown said the idea was born during the June school holidays in 2020 when he and well-known Heart FM presenter Aden Thomas realised many children had nowhere safe to play organised sport.

“We were just knocking a ball around and drawing tennis lines with stones and bricks when the kids started asking, ‘Sir, what must we do’? That’s when we realised children were losing the ability to organise sport themselves because of safety concerns and the lack of recreational spaces,” Brown added.

The event was initially hosted on a street in Westridge before moving to the Mitchells Plain Tennis Club, where it is now presented in partnership with the Rodney Brown Foundation.

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Brown said this year’s event carried even greater significance as Mitchells Plain celebrates its 50th anniversary.

“It’s about celebrating Mitchells Plain turning 50 and making people aware that we have this incredible tennis club, a swimming pool and facilities that belong to the community. We want children to know these spaces exist and hopefully inspire the next generation of tennis players.”

Throughout the day, children battled it out on the tennis courts while families enjoyed games of dominoes, skipping, building blocks and a jumping castle for younger children.

Giveaways, spot prizes and steaming plates of chicken akhni kept families entertained throughout the afternoon, while youngsters tucked into party packs after spending hours enjoying the festivities.

Brown said:

It’s all about tennis awareness, but more importantly, it’s about getting families together, getting children outdoors during the holidays and creating memories.

One of the day’s biggest surprises came when Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis swapped his office for the tennis court - and was comfortably beaten in two sets by 16-year-old Mitchells Plain Tennis Club player Zariya Jouber.

Hill-Lewis laughed off the defeat, saying the event had become one of his favourite annual community events.

“This is such a fun day with the community. Rodney Brown started this tradition years ago, and every year when Wimbledon is on television, Mitchells Plain Wimbledon is happening too.

“There’s no particular purpose other than bringing people together - and that’s always a good purpose. Hundreds of people come out, children play tennis, families spend time together, and everyone enjoys themselves.”

‘She absolutely klapped me’

The mayor admitted he was no match for Mitchells Plain’s rising tennis stars.

“I got thoroughly beaten today [Tuesday] by some very impressive young Mitchells Plain tennis players, including a 16-year-old girl who absolutely klapped me,” he joked.

“It’s just a beautiful day out with the people of Mitchells Plain while getting to see just how talented our young people are. Even if it means I get beaten now and again in a few sets of tennis.”

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For Zariya, however, defeating the mayor was something she never imagined.

“I couldn’t believe I was playing against the actual mayor of Cape Town. That’s so wild,” she laughed.

The talented teenager, who dreams of one day competing at Wimbledon, admitted she was initially nervous.

“I never knew the mayor was going to play against me. Of course, I was nervous, but once I started hitting the ball, my competitive side kicked in and the nerves disappeared.

“In that moment, you don’t really care who your opponent is because you’re so focused on the game and the movement of the ball.”

Although proud of the victory, Zariya insisted the mayor had put up a good fight.

“He’s actually quite good. I think he plays sports because he’s fit and could really move around the court. It was a really good game.”

Another young player, Mahdee Hendricks, said the annual tournament was proof that investing in sporting facilities could positively change young people’s lives.

“Today [Tuesday] was really fun, competitive and rewarding. We practise every day, so getting the opportunity to showcase our talent against well-known public representatives is a game-changer.

“I love this event. Tennis is the best sport, and we thoroughly enjoy playing here,” Mahdee added.

EFF MP Nazier Paulsen said the event had grown into far more than a sporting competition.

“I’ve been attending this event for the past couple of years, and every year it gets bigger and better. It started in the streets of Westridge, and now it’s on the tennis courts.

“It shows us that this is the key to getting our children involved in positive activities. A child in sport is a child out of court.”

Paulsen said the event had become a gathering place for families from across Cape Town.

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“This is more than just a tennis game. It’s a gathering of Capetonians, and it’s beautiful. I wish more public representatives would support initiatives like this, and I want to commend Rodney Brown for what he has achieved.”

He added that he hoped the government would recognise the impact community-led initiatives have on young people.

“This is exactly what we need - ordinary people championing programmes that uplift communities and put young people on the right path.”

As another successful Mitchells Plain Wimbledon Street Tennis Day drew to a close, Brown looked across the busy courts with pride.

He said he hoped that the annual event would continue growing - not only as a celebration of Mitchells Plain’s rich community spirit and 50-year history, but as a launchpad for the next generation of tennis players, proving that sometimes the biggest victories begin with nothing more than a tennis ball, a few stones marking out a court, and a community willing to believe in its children.

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