LIMPOPO – A father of four from Turfloop, who had been struggling to complete his housing project, had his life changed overnight after being announced as the winner of a R500 000 cash injection from Vodacom’s VodaBucks Rewards Programme.
Mbaa Malolo* (45), who has been a Vodacom customer for 15 years and has two sim cards on the network, says he would ‘shake’ his device every day and continued to do so until his lucky win. “I didn’t believe it at all because there are a lot of scams going around, but until a representative from Vodacom called me to confirm my luck, I was ecstatic,” he said.
Mbaa explained that he was struggling to complete his housing project as he only qualified for a R10 000 loan from the bank. As a sole breadwinner, Mbaa added that the winnings will help alleviate the pressure of paying back the loan.
“Thanks to VodaBucks, I’m going to settle the R10 000 debt, build my castle and still live comfortably ever after,” he said.
As Mbaa lives in a rural area with no running water, he explained that he would install a borehole in his yard to ensure his family has access to clean, running water instead of having to walk kilometres for it. “I will invest some of the winnings towards my children’s education. I also have relatives who are living in worse conditions, one of my very close relatives resides in the same area and they also do not have access to running water. I want to install a borehole for them too,” Mbaa said.
Chief Officer of Vodacom’s Consumer Business, Jorge Mendes says South Africans have their own distinctive set of socio-economic challenges, meaning that customers are looking to brands like Vodacom to provide meaningful solutions that ease their daily lives and offer financial relief.
“The cash prize towards improving Mbaa’s life is one way of giving back to our customers for their loyalty to Vodacom,” Jorge added.
Mbaa also has plans to officially wed his partner. “It’s humbling to know that we have made such a huge impact in a customer’s life. To be able to afford him the opportunity to finish his dream home and provide him the means to get access to running water is one of the most heart-warming stories,” Jorge said.
More about the VodaBucks Rewards Programme
The VodaBucks Rewards Programme rewards customers for their loyalty with VodaBucks, which is a unified virtual currency, every time they achieve personalised behavioural goals, such as buying specific bundles using the Just-4-You platform or downloading and engaging with the My Vodacom App.
In addition, customers can earn VodaBucks for the many things they already do, such as paying their Vodacom bill (including add-on data and voice bundles), and buying bundles with VodaPay, with a credit card or via the bank or retail store.
To join the programme, customers need to visit the My Vodacom App or dial *133#. * Not his real name
