Tennis South Africa and the tennis community is saddened to learn the news of the passing of long-time official, coach and champion of Tennis Development Vuyisile David Kempele from King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape, who passed away unexpectedly on Friday, aged 69.
Kempele was involved in tennis for many years, as a referee, level 2 official, Coach, and everything else in between. He was passionate about the sport, putting in countless hours at tournaments throughout the year and working tirelessly to promote tennis at grassroots level in the Eastern Cape.
Kempele officiated at the ATP 250 which was held in East London during 2007 and earlier this year he was the tournament referee for the KM Sports R120 000 Tennis Challenge which showcased the cream of South African players. Kempele’s skills and knowledge of the game saw him travel with the SA Junior tennis teams to various African Countries as a Coach or Manager.
During his visits to African countries and those outside our African Borders, Kempele made friends with many people and most of them were to ensure that black players in the Eastern Cape and South Africa in general benefited, resulting in young black players getting scholarships to study overseas, to name but a few Roscoe Moonieyan; Vusumzi Kempele; Nadia Solomon and Errol Tshabe all who are still in the United States together with Khanyo and Vuyo Ndlabhu; and Kwanda Mbalekwa who had a short stay in the United States and returned to South Africa due to COVID-19
At the time of his sudden passing David was a dedicated coach at Dale College and KHS in King Williamstown where he volunteered his services to the development of tennis for young kids from Dimbaza; Ginsberg and Zwelitsha. In 2019, Tennis South Africa awarded David Kempele a certificate of ‘Appreciation and Honours’ for his outstanding contribution to the game of tennis. David coached many children from these communities and they will sorely miss him as not only did he coach them and nurture their talent but also sacrificed his weekends to ensure that he drove them to participate in tournaments in Buffalo City, Nelson Mandela Bay and different parts of the country.
As part of transforming and realigning tennis boundaries within the Eastern Cape, Kempele was one of the administrators that contributed to the establishment of Tennis Buffalo City and Tennis Eastern Cape. His position on these committees was that of Coaching Coordinator and this task he carried out with pride and distinction. Kempele was an active member of the Destiny Tennis Club and he was known as a “Legend of the game” as many people learnt the Art of Tennis from Kempele.
Since his passing on Friday, the 04th December 2020, Tennis Eastern Cape has been inundated with messages of shock but at the same time many paid tribute to a true gentleman of the game and some said tennis was in his veins. Many young people remember the tours that Kempele accompanied them on as either Coach and/ or Manager and paid sterling tributes to a legend.
Our thoughts are with Kempele’s family and friends during this difficult time.
Lala Ngoxolo Kempele, your legacy will forever be remembered!
