MTN pays tribute to Madiba with a song

MTN, in partnership with Huawei, hosted the third edition of its annual Mandela Day tribute concert, which was streamed live to over 230 million MTN subscribers across Africa and the Middle East.

The tribute concert was hosted on 16 July in Sandton, Johannesburg, as part of MTN's commemoration of Mandela International Day. In line with the spirit of giving espoused by Mandela International Day, MTN zero rated data to enable its subscribers to stream and watch the day-long musical extravaganza on their mobile devices without having to worry about the costs of data.

"MTN takes great pride in its South African heritage and is extremely grateful for the selfless work that Nelson Mandela and so many others did to lay the foundation for the country in which we live in today. We wish to thank our customers and the support we have received from our partner, Huawei," says Larry Annetts, Chief Consumer Officer: MTN South Africa.

With artists such as Cassper Nyovest, Emtee, Praiz, HarrySongz, PJ Powers and many others, this year's edition of the MTN Nelson Mandela Day Tribute Concert was even bigger and more exhilarating.

"MTN is a responsible corporate citizen that participates in projects and engagements that uplifts the communities in which it operates, upholding Madiba's legacy. This concert is a great way of celebrating that," adds Annetts.

Account Director Edric Chu of Huawei SA, adds: "We are pleased and honoured to partner with MTN to pay tribute to a global icon and humanitarian whose legacy and values have made the world a better place to live in."

Through the MTN Foundation SA, MTN has invested considerably in the field of education, health and entrepreneurship. MTN has donated multimedia tools and a computer centres to previously disadvantaged schools in Soweto in Gauteng, Ottery in Western Cape, King Williams Town in Eastern Cape and Malamulele in Limpopo.

Through this year's Mandela Day activities, MTN also supported the Nelson Mandela Foundation by making a donation in support of the Mandela Day Taxi Rank Concert.

MTN invited children from a Johannesburg-based orphanage called Sparrow Village Children's Home and learners from Madiba Comprehensive School, Mandisa Shiceka High School and Masupatsela Secondary School.

This is another way of making our customers' lives a whole lot brighter; we know that Tata Madiba loved children, and that is the reason we have found it necessary to host children as part of the festivities.

Last month, MTN hosted the annual 21-kilometre half-marathon, which attracted over 4 000 participants, which is the largest number of entrants to partake in the race since its inception. The proceeds from the race will be used to fund a computer laboratory for Christel House School in the Western Cape.

"We are always mindful of the socio-economic challenges affecting the communities in which we operate. We are emboldened by the ethos of altruism that Madiba has taught us. Through initiatives such as the Nelson Mandela Tribute Concert, we hope to use our pervasive platform and innovative solutions to make a positive difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate," Annetts concludes.