“When it was Wimbledon, we knew that today we are going to take on the other street, and we will now unearth the next champion that will partake in the next Wimbledon championship.”

The tennis tournament not only unites the community but also allows residents to communicate their problems to officials who join in the fun.

“Now that they are here, it’s the ideal opportunity for the many people who don’t have access to speak with them.”

The idea seems solid as Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and newly appointed MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport Ricardo Mackenzie were there to take part and cheer on. Also present was last year’s winner, Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen.

Giving some tennis-cred to the event was South African tennis star Leo Matthysen, who was joined by singer Salome, radio host Aden Thomas, influencer and journalist Venecia Valentine from Independent Media, and chef Keanon Michaels.

Our mayor might not be Wimbledon material, claiming that he never played before, but the guy seems to be spending more time in our local communities than many previous mayors – which is a good thing.

Is altyd lekker in Mitchells Plain! 😄🔥🎾

Our street tennis tournament was a smash hit! Thanks to all the residents who came out. It was a joy seeing the community come together for some friendly competition and good times! 👏 pic.twitter.com/YsolSaDlsJ

— Geordin Hill-Lewis (@geordinhl) July 2, 2024

“When I heard about how many kids are involved and the good it does for the community, I thought I have got to come and enjoy this. If you look around us, it brings people together. That is exactly what we want in Cape Town, things that bring people together.”

In the end, nobody won a trophy though, as Brown said, “We decided to share the trophy, everyone’s a winner at the end of the day. Everyone is a champion”.