AutoX, the battery manufacturer of brands such as Willard Batteries and SABAT Batteries, as well as the importer of VARTA, has acquired the naming rights sponsorship, valued at over a million rand, for the ELS for Autism South Africa 2021 and 2022 Golf Series.

The 13-event tour commenced at the Wild Coast golf course on 13 December 2020 and will be followed by planned events in 2021 at the following clubs across the country, the Els Club, St Francis Links, Stellenbosch, Waterkloof, Mount Edgecombe, Randpark, Highland Gate, Silverlakes, Ebotse and Sun City.

The ELS for Autism Foundation was established in 2009 by Ernie and Liezl Els, a few years after discovering that their son Ben was impacted by the disorder, which affects 1 in 59 individuals.

ELS for Autism aims to provide families across the globe with best practice interventions and support. In early January 2011, Ernie and Liezl Els embarked on a goal to create a service that would allow lower-resourced families of children on the spectrum in South Africa with free access to effective treatment.

“We are honoured to have the naming right sponsorship for the golf series, which, in supporting Autism is a truly worthy cause,” explained Glenn Geldenhuis, CEO of AutoX.

He added that AutoX is aligned to a number of excellent causes such as beach clean-ups where the Willard limited edition ‘Blue’ battery was launched to create awareness of the damage that plastic pollution causes to our oceans and beaches.

“We have also been a sponsor of the Border2Beach cycle tour to create awareness of Alzheimer’s and Dementia, as well as forging a relationship with the QuadPara Association of SA where we supply SABAT batteries free of charge to members to power their wheelchairs.”

“We see this as an opportunity for AutoX to showcase its product offerings in the automotive and industrial space, including our imported and locally manufactured golf cart batteries. This is an ideal launchpad for announcing our range of batteries in the market,” he said.

ELS for Autism South Africa focuses on empowering parents and caregivers by teaching them how to teach their child. Each session at the centre is designed to promote parents’ independency using tools such as Rethinked and the RUBI Autism network. To enhance parents knowledge of best practices in teaching a child with Autism.

Families are provided with comprehensive training on how to use best practices in education and management to help them teach their child. Coaching is individualised to ensure each child and family is getting customised guidance.

One-on-one coaching is offered, which may take place in centre, over the phone, or through video conferencing. Other services offered include monthly support groups, quarterly family support groups (in collaboration with Autism South Africa and the Johannesburg School for Autism), Ernie Els #GAMEON AUTISM GOLF CLINICS AND CURRICULUM, and once off training for specific groups (teachers, parents), in collaboration with other organisations such as Autism South Africa and Gauteng Department of Education.

The Willard Batteries product range is manufactured in Port Elizabeth. The company has had a presence in South Africa since the 1920s and began local production in 1954. It is a trusted brand primarily supplying car batteries, truck batteries as well as serving agricultural and commercial battery applications.

The AutoX product range includes batteries for agricultural applications such as truck and tractor batteries.  The industrial pillar of the business, Rentech Renewable Technologies, was established in 2001 as a dedicated provider of expert products and services in the renewable and solar energy sector. Products include inverters, lithium batteries, lead acid batteries and PV panels of the highest quality. 

Event Details

• 26 February 2021 : Stellenbosch Golf Club ( Cape Town)
• 04 March 2021 : Els Club (Centurion)
• 25 March 2021 : St Francis Links (Eastern Cape)
• 06 May 2021: Waterkloof Golf Club (Pretoria - Gauteng)
• 24 June 2021 : Randpark Golf Club (Johannesburg)
• 28 August 2021 : Highland Gate (Dullstroom)
• 09 September 2021 : Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club (Gauteng)
• 14 October 2021 : Silverlakes Golf Estate (Pretoria - Gauteng)
• 21 October 2021 : Ebotse Links ( Benoni - Gauteng)
• 28 October 2021 : Leopard Creek (Malelane – Mpumulanga)
• 3 & 4 November 2021 – Lost City / Sun City Finals
• 14 December 2021 – San Lameer (KZN)