Susan Andrew elected as the president of Womens Golf South Africa
Womens Golf South Africa has a new leader at the helm.
Ekurhuleni’s Susan Andrew was recently elected as the president of Womens Golf South Africa (WGSA) at the Annual General Meeting at the Paarl Golf Club. Gauteng North Golf’s Madeleine de Wet is the new vice president.
Andrew succeeds the outgoing Sarah Braude, with whom she served as vice president for the last three years. Andrew and de Wet will serve for the next three years.
“It is a special honour for me to continue to serve amateur golf as the president of Womens Golf South Africa,” said Andrew.
“This is a remarkable time for our organisation, and I truly believe that we have the right people in place with the passion and desire to elevate women’s golf and golf in general in the coming years.
“We work in close association with GolfRSA, and the South African Golf Association (SAGA), and together we have an opportunity to strengthen our position in the sport of golf and, most importantly, to grow the game and to become the driving force for the golf industry in South Africa.”
Andrew, an independent finance and insurance business manager in the motor industry, has been involved with golf administration since 2013.
During this period, she worked as a tournament administrator for Ekurhuleni Womens Golf and qualified as a rules official. She became the union’s vice-president in 2016, and she served as its president for three years from 2017.
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Braude and Andrew took the wheel at Womens Golf South Africa at the end of April 2020, and guided women’s golf through the challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Coming into office at the start of the pandemic in South Africa, it was encouraging to experience what we as WGSA, GolfRSA and SAGA can accomplish when we stand together and combine our strengths. Golf was the first sport to re-open and we experienced a surge of new members, especially in the women’s space.
“We have maintained the upward trajectory and I am excited to have the opportunity to build on the great work done by my predecessors to continue to grow the game at all levels in South Africa,” said the new president.
Outgoing president Braude was full of praise for her successor.
“Susan has been tremendously supportive and a valued and appreciated colleague as my vice-president for the past three years. I have every confidence and belief that Susan and Madeleine will forge forward with GolfRSA and SAGA in continuing to strengthen and grow the amateur game in this wonderful country of ours,” said Braude.
GolfRSA chief executive officer Grant Hepburn welcomed the result of the election.
“We welcome Susan’s appointment as president, and we welcome Madeleine to the WGSA Executive,” Hepburn said.
“Since the establishment of GolfRSA, the support and collaboration from the WGSA, in particular its Executive, has been critical in consolidating and accelerating the work we started in 2015. We have a great rapport and understanding with the WGSA, and we are delighted to continue this relationship going forward with Susan and Madeleine.
“We would also like to salute outgoing president Sarah Braude. Her meticulous attention to detail played a massive role in our dealings with government during the Covid-19 pandemic, and our roll-out of our Risk Mitigation Strategy and compliance protocols as we moved through the different stages of lockdown.
“She played an important role in advancing the unity in golf in South Africa and we wish her happy golf in her retirement.”
