MTN handed over a whopping R1 million cheque to the 2020/21 MTN8 Last Fan Standing competition winner, Sibusiso Mncube from Phomolong, Gauteng and R80 000 cheque to Fanyana Setlhogomi, a sports photojournalist from Soweto, who was crowned this year’s Last Journalist Standing winner. The handovers and announcements were made on SABC Sports@10 on Wednesday 23 December 2020.
The 2020/21 MTN8 campaign was no different to the previous season as it saw fans and lovers of the beautiful game be rewarded various prizes for the duration of the tournament. “Tonight, was the culmination of our two months journey as we crowned the ultimate winner associated with the tournament – The MTN8 Last Fan Standing winner alongside the crowning of the MTN8 Last Journalist Standing winner”, said Nomsa Mazibuko, MTN SA GM: Brand and Communications.
The eight finalists who participated in the MTN8 Last Fan Standing competition were selected from hundreds of thousands across the country who entered the competition by dialling *144*8#, opted in and recharged with a minimum of R10 airtime and increased their chances of winning by downloading the ayoba App where they could predict the scores of the tournament matches.
The Last Fan Standing finalists were then taken through a series of knock out activities; which included cooking, gaming and football skills challenges; to determine the two contestants who battled it out live on TV to determine the winner who won the R1 million. This resulted in Mncube walking away with the prize and being added to the list of Last Fan Standing title holders.
“I am very happy that I won the 2020/21 MTN8 Last Fan Standing title and the cheque that I received today that comes with R1 million. This will change my life forever. I am grateful to MTN for this opportunity and for allowing us football fans to participate in the MTN8 tournament even though we were not allowed to be in the stadiums. I will forever be grateful to them for this unforgettable opportunity and experience,” expressed an overjoyed Mncube.
A similar approach was undertaken to determine this year’s Last Journalist Standing winner, where journalists who were ranked in the top eight of the weekly quiz they participated in, took part in knock out challenges to determine the last two journalists who competed for the prize live on TV. Setlhogomi, a sports photojournalist from Mabaleng Sports Centre emerged victorious and walked away with R80 000 prize.
“I would like to thank MTN for providing us – football journalists the platform to be part of the MTN8 tournament through the amazing MTN8 Last Journalist Standing competition”, said the excited Setlhogomi. “I am out of words – this is an awesome feeling. It feels amazing to be this year’s MTN8 Last Journalist Standing title holder and will use some of the money to buy a camera that will benefit our publication”, he concluded.
Mazibuko added: “The year 2020 has been a very challenging year for everyone across the globe as we battled against Covid-19 pandemic that saw many lives being lost and more changed due to loss of income. The pandemic also restricted everyone from doing what they love, particularly football fans and reporters from watching and reporting on the game from the stands as they did previously.
At MTN we are happy to bring excitement and exclusive experiences that helped #Remake2020 and not only changed the lives of ordinary South African football fans and customers but brought them closer to their passions. This is something that we have been doing successfully for many years since 2009 when we added the Last Fan Standing competition to the MTN8 tournament. It is such life-changing experiences that make us proud to be a South African brand that connects people to their passions.
MTN values its customers, the football fans and the supporters of the MTN8 tournament as well as journalists who have been on this journey with the brand over the years. We are thrilled with the amount of support that the tournament received even during this difficult period”.
This unedited info was supplied.
