A Cape Town Hyundai dealership has stepped in to transport young golfers from the Mitchells Plain Golf Foundation in a Hyundai STARIA after a television story showed the youngsters being taken to the course in a police van. The arrangement, announced in Cape Town on 28 September 2026, replaces the police van and taxi trips the players relied on to reach practices and tournaments.
How Hyundai Plumstead got involved
Hyundai Plumstead Dealer Principal Junaid Daniels said the television report resonated with him immediately because Hyundai operates in the mobility business. He contacted Jehad Kasu, founder of the Mitchells Plain Golf Foundation, and that conversation led to the foundation using a Hyundai STARIA.
Daniels said he saw transport as one of the barriers holding back the growth and success of the young golfers, and something the dealership could help address. “Mobility should never be the reason a young person cannot pursue their sporting talent,” he said.
Mitchells Plain Golf Foundation without a course
The foundation has built its programme without traditional infrastructure. It has no golf course or clubhouse of its own, uses available open spaces for practice and works with established golf clubs to give its players access to proper coaching and competition. Kasu said the programme was started to give young people in high-risk communities an alternative sport that does not ordinarily resonate with a township, and one that could positively occupy their time.
The foundation now has 25 young golfers between the ages of 5 and 18. One graduate has progressed to play for Western Province, and others are members of the Rondebosch Golf Club. Kasu said that when people see the Hyundai-branded vehicle at a traffic light or in traffic, the group receives enthusiastic thumbs ups from passersby, adding that Hyundai is moving an entire community into spaces it had never imagined being in.
What the Hyundai STARIA means to the players
Morné Thomas, aged 16, said the sponsorship has made travelling to tournaments more comfortable and dignified, particularly when competing at prestigious golf courses. “When we go to the very fancy golf courses, then we do not feel bad because we came in a taxi or a police van like we used to,” he said.
Zayaan Samuels, aged 13, said the vehicle has also brought a sense of pride, allowing her to arrive at practices and tournaments in a way that reflects her growing journey in the sport. She said her neighbours think she is very cool to be playing golf and to be fetched in such a fancy car when the STARIA collects her for practice.
Supplied by QuickPic (Hyundai)
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