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MTN INJECTS E5 MILLION FOR BUSHFIRE FESTIVAL

07/04/2024 16:55:00 Mxolisi Dlamini

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MALKERNS – Eswatini MTN has pledged E5 million in sponsorship for this year’s MTN Bushfire Festival, which will be hosted from May 31 to June 2, 2024 at House On Fire lawns.

The sponsorship was announced during the official launch of the 17th edition of the MTN Bushfire Festival which was held on Friday evening at House On Fire Amphitheater. Worth mentioning is the fact that this year’s sponsorship amount has increased with E2 million being the additional amount as last year MTN pumped in E3 million. This year’s MTN Bushfire Festival is themed ‘Fireworks’. The E5 million sponsorship was announced by MTN Eswatini Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Wandile Mtshali. During his remarks, he shared that their relationship with the festival has been exciting. “It has been an exciting 17 years since the birth of this partnership. “The MTN Bushfire Festival in 2023 has been, thus far, the most successful, hosting more than 20 000 guests from across 50 different countries.

“We look forward to hosting 30 000 more people in this year’s festival and into the country to enjoy the festival with us. To amplify the experience for our guests, I am honoured to announce that MTN and MTN FinTech will be sponsoring the MTN Bushfire Festival to the tune of E5 million for the next three years. A sponsorship that not only impacts our local customers but also gives our visitors a taste of Eswatini,” Mtshali said. He further cited the main reason for the continued sponsorship of the festival, saying that it was because of the continued support they were getting from customers. “We continue to partner with such initiatives because of the continued support from our customers who use MTN products and services, our stakeholders, and all our partners who have been with us for the past 25 years. Thank you for being a part of the MTN journey,” he said.

Prime Minister Russell Dlamini lauded MTN Eswatini for sponsoring the festival and said that no organisation matched MTN when it came to sponsorships. “It is important to note that there is no other organisation that matches MTN when it comes to sponsorship. We would like to commend such determination and also encourage other organisations to sponsor local events,” the premier said. The MTN Bushfire Festival does not only give opportunity to local businesses, but also to local musicians to showcase their talent on eight different stages.
The prime minister also applauded the festival for exposing local artists and for promoting information sharing during the festival. “Credit is due to the MTN Bushfire Festival, our local artists enjoy the opportunity to access international music markets and appeal to global audiences for the promoting of Eswatini’s competitiveness in the arts and creative space. Festivals have been recognised for lucrative environment for knowledge sharing, networking and advocacy around pressing social and environmental issues. A philosophy, which is embodied by MTN Bushfire through its call to action for social and environmental change,” he said.

remarks

The launch was also attended by Jane Simelane who is the Minister for Tourism and Environmental Affairs. During her remarks, she echoed the prime minister’s point on the festival being able to do collective sensitisation on environmental issues. “We applaud MTN Bushfire for revolutionising the concept of festivals by asserting this festival as an invaluable opportunity for collective sensitisation and action on pertinent environmental issues as successfully executed through the festival’s ‘Green Your Fire’ call to action. The festivals waste management and recycling systems underwent a major upgrade in 2023, resulting in a recycling rate of 76 per cent of festival waste, far surpassing the previous standard of 50 per cent,” Simelane said. This year’s MTN Bushfire Festival will feature musicians such as Makhadzi, Musa Keys, Nneka, Thandiswa Mazwai, Jeremy Loops, Oddisee, Maleh, Bholoja as well as Umuti, to name a few. More artists are yet to be revealed before the end of this month according to the MTN Bushfire website.