The Friends of Tata Golf Day is an annual platform for the group to acknowledge the continuous support of its stakeholders spanning more than three decades that Tata has been present in Africa. The event attracts government, business, and media partners.

This year marks the first year that this TATA networking event was held in Cape Town. “Hosting the Golf Day in Cape Town is a reflection of Tata’s growing presence and we have a vision of expanding into other African countries where the group’s presence is already established,” says Raman Dhawan, managing director of Tata Africa Holdings. The Tata group already has an impressive footprint in 14 Africa countries and has an aggressive growth strategy targeting 22 countries in the next five years.

The Taj Cape Town, a subsidiary of Taj Hotels, Resorts, and Palaces, also part of the Tata group, is possibly the most visible Tata group company in Cape Town. True to the Tata ethos, consistent across the group, the Taj Cape Town used the golf day as an extension of its support to the Rainbow Academy.

The Cape Town based not for profit performing arts and tourism academy is aimed at helping talented but disadvantaged youth from the Cape Town city centre achieve a post-matric education, by affording the beneficiaries with a structured career path, internship opportunities, and university bursaries. A donation of R10 000 was made toward the Academy to further support their programmes. The golfers were only too happy to participate in a raffle draw whose proceeds also went to the Academy. An additional R10 000 was raised through the raffle. “We are inspired everyday by the work of the Rainbow Academy. This organisation is changing lives, giving children who would otherwise be on the street a chance at a meaningful tomorrow.” said Michael Pownall, general manager of Taj Cape Town during the handover of the cheque.

In his keynote address to his guests, Mr Raman Dhawan, managing director of Tata Africa Holdings, emphasised the group’s commitment to the continent, noting that this is reflected in the expansion of operations in tandem with increased social responsibility in every country where Tata has a presence. “We are excited about the positive growth story unfolding in Africa and we are aligning our investments into new operations and into developing the human capital necessary to sustain the fruits of this growth,” says Dhawan.