GolfRSA Help Fund Update

Over 17, 000 vouchers to the value of R4.5-million were issued to caddies and casual workers in the Emergency Phase of the GolfRSA Help Fund during the Covid-19 Lockdown in South Africa from April to October 2020.

October 2020 – GolfRSA support to thousands of caddies and golf club casual workers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, has come to an end.

Over the course of five months, during which time many caddies and casual employees have been unable to work, the organisation distributed 17 630 food vouchers, supporting more than 4 000 individuals from golf clubs across South Africa.

The GolfRSA Help Fund initiative initially launched with funds raised through operational savings and voluntary staff salary reductions, and was further supplemented by several auctions, raffles and donations.

“We are very grateful to everyone who has contributed to the GolfRSA Help Fund and played a part in supporting our valued golf club caddies and casual workers during the lockdown,” commented GolfRSA CEO Grant Hepburn.

“After distributing almost R4.5-million in vouchers, we made the difficult decision to halt move the GolfRSA Help Fund programme into its next phase.

“The need that arose during the hard lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic served as a reminder to us that so many people in our industry live close to the breadline. We believe the golf industry has a collective responsibility to find a way to provide sustainable support and upliftment for our caddies.

“To this end, the GolfRSA Help Fund committee – established in April and headed up by businessman Selwyn Eagle – has been investigating ways to source further funding. There are already some innovative ideas on the table for 2021 and the committee is currently in dialogue with some business market leaders who have expressed an interest to support our cause. We hope to make further announcements on the next phase of the GolfRSA Help Fund early next year.

“Once again, we express our gratitude to all the committee members for sourcing incredible items for our auctions and raffles. We extend a heartfelt thank you to all the South African sportsmen and women, the celebrities and television personalities and all the other individuals who so generously donated their time and memorabilia to the GolfRSA Help Fund so far. We also want to thank the golfing and non-golfing community for supporting our caddies and casual workers through these difficult times.”