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Cape Town - South African born comedian Trevor Noah and business magnate and philanthropist, Bill Gates have officially arrived in Cape Town ahead of Friday’s The Match in Africa.
The charity tennis match hosted by the Roger Federer Foundation, the 6th edition of this event but the first to be played in Africa, will see the two men go head-to-head in a celebrity-pro doubles match with Roger and Rafa Nadal in front of an audience of more than 50 000 fans at the Cape Town Stadium.
Channel24 can confirm that both Trevor and Bill arrived in the Mother City with little fanfare but with an impressive entourage of bodyguards and super-tight security.
They’ll be staying at a luxury boutique hotel on the Atlantic Seaboard that has previously hosted other A-list stars like Ellen DeGeneres, Meryl Streep, and Oprah Winfrey. The secluded property, with stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean, is rated one of the best in the world.
Tickets for the charity event, which ranged in price from R150 to R1 950, sold out within 10 minutes after it went on sale in September 2019.
This is Roger’s first-ever match in Sub Saharan Africa. The 20-time Grand Slam Champion’s mother, Lynette Federer is originally from South Africa and was born in Kempton Park.
"This Match in Africa is a dream come true. I will play in my mother’s home country against my toughest rival and friend Rafa Nadal,” said Roger of the much-anticipated event that will officially kick off at 19:15 on Friday, 7 February.
The crowds will also be treated to a performance by The Ndlovu Youth Choir and The Zip Zap Circus who will team up for an innovative spectacular. "It's really special to work with other young people who are doing such incredible things in the arts field," said the choir’s conductor and composer Ralf Schmitt.
He added: "It's a great opportunity for us and it's going to be unlike any other show, we've done before. So, we are very excited, we've never performed with a circus act. And on a stage where the world will be watching."
Roger held a press conference at Cape Town International Airport on Wednesday ahead of the event. During the conference the tennis star said that due to family commitments he wouldn't be able to attend the Stormers v Bulls Super Rugby derby at Newlands on Saturday, but "would make every effort to catch up with Kolisi".
Well, on Thursday he did just that when the pair met for the first time at an event hosted at the Mount Nelson Hotel in the heart of the city.
Channel24 reached out to Trevor's team for an interview but due to his busy schedule he was unable to accommodate any interviews with the media ahead of Friday’s charity event.
