Thank you to each and every one of you who has shared this journey in following and supporting South Africa’s very own Rhino Campaigner, Afeefah Patel. Without the support of each and every one of you none of this would have been made possible.
I thought of sharing some good news with you. I received an email late Friday August 1 at 16:00 that I must watch channel 405, ANN 7 where the nominees for the I am South African show, an initiative by ANN 7, would be shortlisted as the South African of the Year.
Oh my! I nearly choked on a biscuit when the presenter, the beautiful Ms Holisani Ravele, mentioned that Afeefah was one of the nominees for the Young South African of the Year. Afeefah is one nominee out of a list of six who would stand a chance of being recognised as the Young South African of the Year in this category.
Other nominees such as Mr Johnny Clegg, Zahara, Dr Imtiaz Suleman, Hashim Amla, Itumeleng Khune and the who’s who of South Africa are also nominees in the categories of Celebrity, Sportsperson, Campaign of the Year etc.
Just being shortlisted surpassed our expectations, I mean where in our wildest dreams nor imagination did we ever expect a seven-year-old girl to capture the hearts of the entire South Africa, and her journey just continues and continues (blessings and praises are due unto God).
I believe that this is a huge opportunity for the youth of South Africa to be the voice of our majestic, our iconic rhino to make people aware of the importance of our heritage.
I also want to state that though Afeefah has received several accolades, her passion is primarily for the protection of our rhino for her and for all the children of world.
Request to you: I don’t know the procedure is for a nominee to be successful, but I believe that the winner of the various categories would be judged considering their contribution and impact of the individual with the voting as an ‘additional criteria’ when selecting the winner of the category.
In this regard can I please humbly request that you show your support in the following way:
1. SMSs: 43043 followed by YOUNG + 1 in the message line
2. Email: satyvoting@ann7.com with YOUNG + 1 in the subject line
3. Online: https://www.ann7.com/saty2014/nominees.php, complete SATY Online Voting Form, scroll down to Young South African of the Year. You can also vote for the other nominees in other categories as well.
Voting is unlimited and persons can vote as many times as they want. Please note that SMS’s cost R 1.50.
Shiraaz
