People are still surprised to discover that Mitchells Plain has tennis courts. This despite the annual Street Tennis Festival, locally known as Westridge Wimbledon, taking place at the courts behind the Westridge Public Pool for the second year.

Rodney Brown co-founded the event, with radio presenter Aden Thomas, five years ago. It was initially played in the streets, reminiscent of days gone by when people didn’t have access to proper sports facilities. Last year the event was moved to the tennis courts, which were recently refurbished.

How it began

Brown and Thomas started the event to give young people in Mitchells Plain something positive to do during the winter school holidays, drawing inspiration from the Wimbledon Championships, which are played during the same period. The aim was to show that the school holidays could become associated with tennis, opportunity and community.

This year’s fifth edition coincided with Mitchells Plain’s 50th anniversary. It was organised through a partnership between the Rodney Brown Foundation and the Mitchells Plain Tennis Club.

The City of Cape Town backed the event, with both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor attending alongside community members, parents, local stakeholders and young tennis players. The Mayor praised club members for taking ownership of their facility and acknowledged the club’s work in developing young players.

A club that still surprises people

The fact that there is a thriving tennis club in the area is greeted with equal surprise, said Mitchells Plain Tennis Club treasurer Karen Arendse. The nearly 100-member-strong club has produced two young players who secured tennis scholarships at American universities.

One of those players, Leo Matthysen, was once the top-ranked African player in the under-16 category. He began playing at the club at the age of five under coach Andrew Japhta. He later trained at the Tony Anthony Harris Academy in Sea Point and has gone on to play in the Davis Cup. He is currently studying in the United States on a tennis scholarship.

Another player who started at the club at a young age is Mikaeel Woodman. He too secured a tennis scholarship to an American university recently.

Arendse said the club competes in the Cape Town Tennis Federation league, entering between five and seven teams each September and January.

What happened on the day

The 2026 Street Tennis Festival was held on Tuesday 7 July. The event featured more than just tennis, with indigenous games such as kerem taking place on one court alongside giant versions of board games and Jenga.

Two jumping castles kept younger children entertained, while Heart 104.9 FM broadcast live from the entrance. Another court was set aside entirely for tennis coaching, where dozens of children bounced balls between cones and through hoops under the guidance of veteran coach Clifford “Cliffie” Swartz, whom Arendse called “the most qualified tennis coach in South Africa”.

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Repairs and upgrades to the courts

The event has attracted a lot of interest in the sport and this has helped the club to motivate for improvements to the courts. Club members repainted the white lines, which had faded over time and with help from the City of Cape Town, the facility manager oversaw the replacement of the perimeter fencing, sections of which were nearly falling over and had gaps through which dogs were entering, Arendse said.

Lights were also installed at the courts, which has allowed the club to coach and play for longer hours.

“Especially now in winter, with having lights, we can play in the evening and in summer we can play until about 8 o’clock,” Arendse said.

“Those are the big leaps we’ve had over just the past couple of months,” she added.