The London Mayor, Sadiq Khan visited Cape Town this week during the first ever UK Trade Mission to Africa by a Mayor of London.

During this time, Khan met and engaged with some of the young children from The Atlas Foundation SA, the South African arm of The Atlas Foundation based in the UK.

The Atlas Foundation has a strong strong focus on uplifting the underserved youth, and he made a significant announcement during his engagement with The Atlas Foundation SA at the Villagers FC Rugby Club in Claremont.

It follows Prince William’s visit to the Atlas Foundation in Ocean View and the neighbouring community of Masiphumelele in November 2024.

Khan announced a new £1.4 million investment to transform young Londoners’ lives through sport as part of his successful Go! London initiative, which is the capital’s biggest ever community sports fund.

During his engagement, he spoke to Smile FM, saying they have a lot to learn from the local Atlas Foundation here in Cape Town, who run several successful programmes to uplift disadvantage youth through sport. He also spoke about his trade mission to Africa.

He even got a bit of ball practice in:

Khan led a trade mission to Africa last week – advancing London as a place to invest and do business – the first London Mayor to ever tour the continent.

He attended a series of high-level business and cultural events in Lagos, Nigeria and Accra, Ghana and commemorated Mandela Day in Johannesburg, before meeting Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to discuss trade opportunities, especially in the tech and fin-tech space.