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‘IT’S BIGGER THAN SPTC, BIGGER THAN ANYTHING’

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As the saying goes; ‘a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet’, 13 years later the Swazi Telecom Charity Cup has undergone so much transformation but it’s still the Cup of Hope.


From a one day four-team tournament to a two-day six team tourney; from only televoting to internet voting; from the old Trade Fair to Somhlolo, from fraudulent votes to legitimate ones; from Dan Zikalala to Petros Dlamini – the Swazi Telecom Charity Cup has still not lost any of its magic. Always enchanting and delightful with its opportunity to give everyone a chance to do something for charity – the tournament has come a long way.


At Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC), Lindiwe Dlamini became the face of the tournament in its infantry stages. Fast forward to 2014 – and the new lady at the helm; straight talking; forthright, candid, creative and artistic, Nqobile Magagula.
The company’s Corporate Affairs Manager, needs no introduction. She is not new to football, as she only recently served as the Premier League of Swaziland (PLS) Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
In this brief interview, Magagula implored not just teams but everyone to make the last week of voting momentous. Sunday midnight will see the curtains fall on this year’s voting.  

Times: Briefly enlighten our readers how the noble idea of the Charity Cup came about?
Nqobile: It was 13 years ago when SPTC felt the need to go an extra mile in its social responsibility programme. It was noted sadly though that there were minimal resources so the idea to use football as a vehicle came up. It was a masterstroke. Can you believe it that the first distribution of the Charity Cup proceeds were about E5 000? The last distribution though saw over E495 000 being given out to different charity organisations.

Times: That is a huge growth. What can you attribute it to?
Nqobile: I can attribute the huge growth to the fact that the Charity Cup has become a national event. Over the years, the nation has come to embrace the noble idea, which allows each and every one of us to help the less fortunate in our society. This has obviously been through the active participation of all the stakeholders especially the football teams that have gone out of their way to ensure they mobilise their supporters.
We have come to realise that the Charity Cup is bigger than anything, it is bigger than SPTC. That this is now a national event is seen by the support we get even from a person of no less stature than His Majesty, the PM, his Cabinet and everyone who ensure they always watch the final of the tournament.

Times: But can you say you are meeting the expectations of the concept?
Nqobile: First and foremost this is a Noble Cup, which is aimed at reaching out to those of us who are less fortunate. We are doing that so well. This year alone, for instance, we managed to build over five two-roomed houses, a goat shed, market place for women, a number of gardens and generally improved the welfare of a number of families.


I must point out that we did this through the help and support of all of our stakeholders including the teams, NGOs such as World Vision, SOS, Save the Children, Hope House, Asihlume Bo Make Association, the Prince Lindani Foundation and others. We are grateful for their support.

Times: How has the voting been so far?
Nqobile: I can safely say that so far so good. It is almost the same pace as last year’s. We are aware that a majority of the teams wait until the last minute to cast their votes. We are looking forward to an exciting week, as this is the last week before deadline, which is on Sunday at midnight.

Times: So you are confident you will meet the deadline of one million votes come Sunday midnight
Nqobile: The teams have never failed to meet the target so yes, we are confident we will again meet the targeted number of votes.

Times: What would be your advice to teams, as the voting race is expected to intensify this week?
Nqobile: Firstly, I want to appeal to everyone out there to ensure they vote and do something for charity. Teams on the other hand must not wait for the last day to avoid disappointments. There will be disappointments all round if teams wait for the last minute because they may not meet the deadline.

Times: Can you assure us that there are no fraudulent votes that find their way into the system?
Nqobile: Of course! Our system is the best and is up there with the rest in world class. I can assure the nation that the system cannot reject any votes either. Instead what usually happens is that some people continue to vote after midnight and the system accepts the votes irrespective of the fact that those votes would not have met the deadline. The votes are then not counted for obvious reasons.

Times: Can we expect fireworks, in terms of all round entertainment in the tournament?
Nqobile:  As it has been the norm, it will be family fun filled days on both days of the tournament. We will release the entertainment line-up shortly though. People must really brace themselves for a grat tournament.

Times: Thank you for your time Magagula.
Nqobile: It is always a pleasure.

Comments (1 posted):

Rhambo Ravaza on 23/07/2014 09:40:25
avatar
Good cause but I'm concerned about public not doing enough in voting and then team bosses with a big purse holding until the last day before putting in large amounts. You then wonder if corruption don't play in that case, under intense pressure. Find a way to discourage that attitude.

I'm also worried about the SOS rendering criteria because in some areas they keep visiting to help the needy whereas in others like my KaLiba, they hardly if ever help.

Can't the Times help publish the areas and activities carried out over their history ( sacrificing a page ) because voters could be discouraged if such help is biased.

Angibongele bonkhe labake basitakala, ngibonge naye SPTC. 8703 is the electrifying number.

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