A Shake of a lifetime brings one lucky VodaBucks winner R500 000 closer to his Dream Home

05 October 2020: Vodacom customer *Mbaa Malolo’s life has changed overnight!  The first lucky recipient of a R500,000 cash injection towards a Dream Home, Malolo didn’t quite believe it at first. As part of the VodaBucks Rewards Programme, Malolo says he would “Shake” his device every day, and continued to do so until he received a notification informing him he had won R500, 000 towards a Dream Home. ‘I didn’t believe it, until a representative from Vodacom called me to confirm my luck,’ he says.

“I was struggling to complete my housing project, as I only qualified for a R10 000 loan from the bank.” The 45-year-old father of four and sole breadwinner says the winnings will help to alleviate the pressure of paying back the loan. “Thanks to Vodacom’s Rewards Programme, VodaBucks, I am going to settle the R10 000 debt, build my castle and still live comfortably ever after.” The Turfloop resident has been a Vodacom customer for more than 15 years and with two active SIM cards on the network, visits the My Vodacom App everyday without fail, to ‘Shake’. Since the launch of Vodacom’s “Shake!Up” he has won different prizes ranging from airtime to data.

Vodacom introduced the VodaBucks Rewards Programme as a single platform that rewards customers for their loyalty last month. Free to join, the VodaBucks Rewards Programme rewards customers with VodaBucks, which is a unified virtual currency, every time they achieve personalised behavioural goals, such as buying specific bundles using the Just-4-You platform or downloading and engaging with the My Vodacom App. In addition, customers can earn VodaBucks for the many things they already do, such as paying their Vodacom bill (including add-on data and voice bundles), and buying bundles with VodaPay, with a credit card or via the bank or retail store.

“South Africans have their own distinctive set of socio-economic challenges. This means our customers are looking to brands like ours to provide meaningful solutions that ease their daily lives and offer financial relief. The cash prize towards improving Mr Malolo’s life is one way of giving back to our customers for their loyalty to Vodacom, says Jorge Mendes, Chief Officer of Vodacom Consumer Business.

Malolo has plans to also help those around him turn their lives around.

“I stay in a very rural area with no running water. I am going to install a borehole in my yard to ensure my family has access to clean running water instead of walking kilometres to access this basic need. I will invest some of the winnings towards my children’s education. I also have relatives who are living in worse conditions. One of my very close relatives resides in the same area and they also do not have access to running water. I want to install a borehole for them too.”

“It is humbling to know that we have made such a huge impact in a customer’s life. To be able to afford him the opportunity to finish his Dream Home and provide him the means to get access to running water is one of the most heart-warming stories,” adds Mendes.”

With his winnings Malolo also plans to officially wed his partner and have a wedding celebration of their dreams.

In addition to the Dream Home, VodaBucks has given away over R2.5 million in grand prizes.

VodaBucks Rewards Programme, rewards customers for doing the things they already do. Customer are encouraged to keep Shaking, Earning, Banking and Spending their VodaBucks in the VodaBucks Store!

To join the programme, customers need to visit the My Vodacom App or dial *133#.

*Not his real name.