Daveyton Golf club is rapidly declining
The Daveyton Golf Club was the first black golf course in South Africa, in 1965.
“There was a time when the East Rand, especially Daveyton, was the pride and model of township development,” said Desmond Maloba, chairperson of Daveyton Golf Club.
One of its flagships was the Daveyton Golf Course, which was home to many black golfers in Ekurhuleni and beyond.
The Daveyton Golf Club was the first black golf course in South Africa, in 1965.
A few professional golfers who made use of the club back in the day were Vincent Tshabalala, Martin Pinto and Theo Manyama.
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“The golf course was well looked after by the council back then, but then suddenly the club had many challenges,” said Alex Maluka, secretary of Daveyton Golf Club.
“We are requesting that as part of the transformation initiative, Ekurhuleni Golf Union (EGU) and the metro can note our challenges and see how they can help.
“The erstwhile apartheid government made sure that this facility was kept in tip-top condition at all times, for reasons which are not germane to the issue now at hand,” said Maloba.
“Today, it is a shadow of its former self.”
The club spoke to the City Times about four main challenges they are experiencing upon our visit to the club’s premises.
Poor maintenance
“The club is unplayable because of the long grass,” said Maluka.
“We hired private local community people to assist in December, but we quickly ran out of funds because the council was not assisting us.”
According to Maluka, the club’s executive, Maloba, wrote a letter directly to the mayor for a meeting request and is still waiting for a response.
“Over the years since the advent of the metropolitan municipalities, we have witnessed a dramatic decline in maintenance at the course, not to mention that half of the course was given away for housing development,” said Maloba.
“Something has gone wrong, and has left the club wondering if our local sphere of government cares about golf development in historically disadvantaged communities.”
Leg of finance
“The club is battling with funds,” Maluka said.
“We lowered our club subscriptions to accommodate underprivileged golfers but members are defaulting and when they are disaffiliated by the club as a form of discipline they are allowed to play at other clubs without HNA cards, so they see no reason for membership.
“We appeal to clubs to ask that players swipe their affiliated cards before teeing off except during corporate games.”
The battle to find donations and sponsors
“The club would like to thank the efforts made by Benoni Country Club by providing reciprocity to us and also Darren Millington for fighting to restore the plight of the club without assistance from council,” Maluka said.
“We request the EGU to put pressure on the sports council for assistance.”
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Development of juniors
“It is regrettable to see juniors battling to practise under such conditions,” Maluka said.
“All we need is the council to schedule cutting the rough, the fairways and the green to enable fair practice.”
Maloba wrote in a letter to the mayor, stating various problems the club is faced with and requesting help on several things.
One of the topics touched on in the letter read:
“Setting aside their ideological learnings, there is undeniable truth in what they say. Can Africans create a better future for coming generations? This is the question that is staring us in the face; can we develop our current golf course into a better golf facility for future generations? We as members of the club know what is required. We have both the will and requisite skills to develop and maintain the course, provided we are given the necessary support and budget.”
According to Maloba, they are currently renting out their hall to Etwatwa residents, just to bring in an income to keep the club going.
“We even managed to get a sponsor for new men’s changing rooms, which have rapidly declined as we have no funds to keep up the maintenance,” he said.
“All the council said to us was that even though we got a sponsor to pay for these bathrooms because it is on their property it belongs to them.”
The DA recently shared their frustration on the matter, stating the following:
The DA in Ekurhuleni is concerned with how the ANC and its coalition partners in the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) have chosen to fulfil their strategic goals and objectives when it comes to developments in the metro.
In an item presented to Council on February 25, the ANC-led coalition government stated its intention to make the Daveyton Golf Course available for various developmental purposes.
As the DA, we believe the Daveyton Golf Course is a capital asset that belongs to the community of Ward 96 and the many people who use the facility for recreational purposes.
The Ward 96 community does not have many recreational and sports facilities and open spaces.
It is, therefore, unfortunate that the CoE is considering selling one of the very few green spaces in this community.
According to Clr Raymond Dhlamini, the ANC mayor, Mzwandile Masina, promised in the 2020 State of the City
Address to promote a culture of sport in Ekurhuleni communities and to reclaim the City’s position as a sporting mecca of the Gauteng province.
“This empty promise highlights another example of his dismal failure to lead and usher in meaningful change in Ekurhuleni,” he said.
The Daveyton Golf Club is in desperate need of sponsors, clean-ups, fund-raisers and donations.
If you can assist in providing any of the above, contact chairperson Desmond Maloba on 082 822 8319.
The City Times is awaiting comment from the metro.
