From fixing phones to winning a car

EZULWINI – For 22-year-old phone repairer Nkosikhona Bongiswa Mafuleka, the past two weeks have turned into a winning streak he is still struggling to believe.

Just two weeks after pocketing E10 000 in the MTN 7080 Mega Promo, the Hlutse-based self-employed businessman found himself standing at MTN Eswatini Headquarters on Thursday, watching as Acting CEO Chris Wasswa announced his name as the winner of the competition’s grand prize, a brand-new Omoda C5. For a young man who spends his days repairing other people’s phones, the irony was not lost on him. Nkosikhona could barely contain his excitement as he was handed the keys to his new car, repeatedly expressing just how happy and excited he was. “I am very excited. I still cannot believe that I have won,” he said.

His winning journey began after local influencer Christian Dude put the competition on his radar. Nkosikhona said he saw Christian Dude advertising the competition on social media and decided to take his participation more seriously. He started purchasing more airtime, answering the questions and entering the competition through SMS, hoping for a win, but never imagining that he would eventually drive away with the grand prize. Two weeks ago, his gamble had already paid off when he won E10 000. But the biggest surprise was still to come. Nkosikhona estimates that, when he adds everything up, he spent more than E21 000 on airtime and entries while participating in the competition. The investment ultimately came back to him in a way he never expected.

And there was one person he could not wait to tell. Immediately after being announced as the winner, Nkosikhona called his father, Sabelo Mafuleka, and put him on speakerphone so that everyone at the event could share the moment. The excitement was clear on both sides of the call. His father congratulated him, expressed his happiness at the unexpected win and reminded him to thank MTN Eswatini for the opportunity. For now, however, Nkosikhona will not be the one behind the wheel. He does not yet have a driving licence, although he is currently working towards getting one. Until then, the Omoda C5 will be used by his father.

That did not dampen his excitement.

In a light-hearted moment, MTN Manager of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Thandwayinkosi Dlamini joked with the young winner that the Omoda was a sophisticated car and that he would need to ‘communicate with it in English’, because he could simply speak to it and tell it what he wanted. Nkosikhona laughed before responding that, for now, he and his new car would teach each other. The moment brought laughter to the room, but behind the jokes was the reality of a life-changing win for a young entrepreneur who had entered the competition simply hoping for a prize.

Nkosikhona’s win marked the end of the MTN 7080 Mega Promo, which had been rewarding customers through a series of daily, weekly and monthly prizes before the grand prize was finally claimed. MTN’s promotion included cash and other rewards, with E10 000 monthly prizes among the winnings on offer, before the Omoda C5 became the ultimate prize. Announcing Nkosikhona as the grand-prize winner, Wasswa congratulated him and thanked all the customers who had participated in the promotion since its launch.

MTN Eswatini used the occasion to launch its new 7080 promotion, which will give customers the chance to win a trip to Cape Town and E100 000 in cash. Wasswa encouraged customers to continue participating, saying the new promotion was designed to keep rewarding and engaging MTN customers.

For Nkosikhona, however, the focus was firmly on the keys now in his hands. From a phone repair business in Hlutse, to E10 000 and then a brand-new Omoda C5 just two weeks later, his MTN winning streak has taken an extraordinary turn.

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