Sport

Williams sisters to visit South Africa

Brad Morgan

13 September 2012

Sisters, Venus and Serena Williams, two of the most successful tennis players of all time, will visit South Africa in November 2012 to help launch the Breaking the Mould campaign.

Their visit will include an exhibition match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 4 November (to be preceded by a wheelchair tennis match), a coaching clinic in Soweto and a gala dinner at Montecasino on 3 November.

Serena recently claimed the US Open title on 9 September to go with victories earlier in the year in the Olympics and at Wimbledon.

She has won 15 Grand Slam singles titles in her career, 13 doubles titles with her sister, Venus, and two mixed doubles titles and is recognised as one of the all- time greats of the female game.

Older sister Venus has won seven Grand Slam singles titles and two mixed doubles title. Her achievements include five singles titles at Wimbledon.

Campaign to 'break the mould'

BTM is a new campaign aimed at inspiring, acknowledging and rewarding South African women who have risen above their own set of challenges and adversities to succeed and inspire.

It was conceived by Qondisa Ngwenya, the managing director of sponsorship consulting practice and athlete and personality representation company, Octagon South Africa.

The mould-breakers also include MD and Founding Editor of Ndalo Media Khanyi Dhlomo, Chief Quality Assurance Officer at the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa Thembi Kunene and businesswoman Jenna Clifford.

BTM says it aims to promote and sustain a "breaking the mould" culture in South Africa. Over the years, Ngwenya says he has seen time and again how the power of leading female athletes and personalities can inspire and encourage audiences from all walks of life to achieve great things.

BTM will launch with a series of Pop-up Colleges at six universities led by four of South Africa's current leading mould-breakers, starting in October. The 2012 campaign will culminate in the arrival of the Williams sisters.

They have signed on to champion "breaking the mould" as they exemplify many of the traits needed to rise above life's challenges, including determination, passion, hard work and self-belief.

'Proud and humbled'

"We're proud and humbled to have been chosen for the inauguration of this women’s empowerment platform and we hope we can help inspire South Africa's young women to break the mould too," Serena said.

"We're extremely excited to be coming to South Africa," said Venus.

"After Serena's gold medal at the Olympics, her win at Wimbledon and now the US Open too, I look forward to taking my younger sister on in this exhibition tennis match in South Africa."