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Vodacom Group

Vryheid hosts first audition for much-anticipated Vodacom M-PESA Top Stars

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

The Kwa-Zulu Natal city of Vryheid hosted the first of six auditions for the much-anticipated Vodacom M-PESA Top Stars radio DJ talent search competition on Saturday, 7 May 2011. The annual Kwa-Zulu Natal based event, which is held in association with Ukhozi FM and Boxer Superstores, has already unearthed a dearth of talent and will see the eventual winner spend an entire year training at Ukhozi FM, before joining the station as a presenter.

Event co-ordinator Mr Protus Ndaleni of RedGrape Media & Events said that "we couldn't be happier with how things went today, it was a great way to get the competition started! The response from the public was phenomenal, and a number of participants were of a high quality. We are looking forward to the next five auditions over the coming weeks, and are excited to be putting together a quality group of aspiring DJ's for the Top 12!"

Vryheid's Market Mark saw over 250 hopefuls, as well as more than 1000 spectators, arrive to potentially take the first step in their broadcasting careers, with Mandla Masondo, Nokubonga Apleni, Zamokwakhe Khumalo, Senzokuhle Magwaza and Zenzele Dlamini all impressing the judges. Ultimately, after much deliberation, the judges decided that Mandla Masondo and Nokubonga Apleni would represent Vryheid in the Top 12 of the Vodacom M-PESA Top Stars competition.

The Vodacom M-PESA Top Stars road show will be stopping in at Ladysmith (14 May), eMpangeni (21 May), Port Shepstone (28 May), Pietermaritzburg (4 June) and Durban (11 June) over the next five weekends.

Those who wish to enter must register for Vodacom's convenient ‘mobile money' service M-PESA at any KZN Boxer Superstore, where they will need to complete a registration form before sending an SMS with "the town you wish to be auditioned in, M-PESA Star, and name" to 33106. Participants will also need to purchase Vodacom airtime from the Boxer store (either R5, R12 or R29), and bring proof of this purchase, as well as their ID books, to the auditions when registering.

Once the auditions have been completed, the Top 12 will be selected and introduced to the public on the Ukhozi FM Breakfast Show and the Home Drive Show. Ukhozi FM listeners will play a central role in choosing which aspiring DJ's make it through the gruelling competition, with their votes determining which of the finalists will walk away with the title of 2011 Vodacom M-PESA Top Stars Ultimate Radio Presenter, in association with Ukhozi FM and Boxer Superstores.

Alberts Breed, Vodacom KZN Managing Executive, said that "we are glad to see that the competition has got off to such a great start. Being involved in a campaign which will provide a platform for our youth to shine is a very rewarding experience, as is the fact the Vodacom M-PESA Top Stars competition will offer job opportunities and valuable life experience to many young adults. We are sure that the competition will go from strength to strength in the coming weeks, this is just the beginning!"  

Speaking about the Vodacom M-PESA service, Breed said that "in South Africa, there are millions of economically active people without a bank account. With Vodacom M-PESA, users can transfer money and pay for goods and services without needing to have a bank account. At Vodacom, we wish to empower our customers, and as the M-PESA service has no joining fee, monthly charges or minimum balances, and is easy to use, we know that with M-PESA we are helping many Vodacom customers to expand their horizons".

 



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