In a heartwarming gesture of support for young talent and dreams, renowned business maverick and billionaire entrepreneur Zunaid Moti has stepped forward to sponsor 12-year-old ZImbabwean tennis sensation Emmly Lebogang George’s entire trip to the 2023 African Junior Tennis Championships in Morocco.

This sponsorship comes as a part of the MotiMoves entrepreneurial programme, which has provided a total of R30 million to invest in new businesses and is now extending its reach to aid gifted youth in sports and culture.

Emmly is a rising tennis star from Zimbabwe who aspires to one day compete at prestigious international tournaments such as Wimbledon and the Australian Open. With the coaching of her father, Mkhululi George, she has already competed at numerous tournaments across Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa, where she won four Under-10 tournaments in Pretoria and Cape Town. Her talent and determination earned her a spot in the international 2023 African Junior Tennis Championships, where she hopes to make her mark as a name to watch and secure a place in a possible European tour.

The African Junior Championships is a prestigious Junior tennis tournament that gathers Africa's top young players. This year's championship is currently being held at the Royal Tennis Club in Morocco, after being relocated from its original site in Tabark in Tunisia. Emmly and her father had already made their way to Tunisia for preparations and tournament participation. However, due to the unexpected change in the event's location, they found themselves stranded in Tunisia and unable to afford new flights to Morocco.

After seeing the excitement about the MotiMoves programme on social media, Emmly and her father decided to approach Zunaid Moti to request a helping hand.

Known for his philanthropic endeavours and commitment to youth empowerment, Moti said that he was highly impressed by Emmly’s proposal to the MotiMoves programme requesting financial assistance to help her compete and progress in her career. As a result, he immediately decided to sponsor her entire journey to Morocco from start to finish, including travel, accommodation, transportation, meals, all kit requirements and a little extra spending money.

“The MotiMoves initiative is ultimately about creating opportunities for the next generation, so while I have been focusing on business mentorship and entrepreneurship, I felt that nurturing young stars such as Emmly and helping her to succeed fit in well with the mission and values of the programme,” he said.

Moti expressed his confidence in Emmly’s talent, stating: “I have no doubt that Emmly will bring home the gold in Morocco, and that one day we will see her flying the African flag high on the world stage. I wish her all the best for the tournament, and the entire MotiMoves team will definitely be cheering her on from home!”

The African Junior Championships tournament began last week and will conclude on 21 September.

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MotiMoves sponsors tennis prodigy’s dream trip to the African Junior Championships