HiPipo Money

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South Africa’s most loved citizen and the father of our democracy, former President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, passed away peacefully last night, 5th December 2013.

Nelson Mandela single-handedly put South Africa on the map for billions of people around the world.

Travel anywhere and say you are from South Africa and without a doubt the first word people will utter is ‘Mandela’. This is because he is not only a hero for all South Africans, forever changing the course of our combined history, but also because his incredible leadership ability, compassion and vision made him a hero for the whole world, earning him iconic status in every country on earth.

Mandela opened up our beautiful country, once a pariah state, to the rest of the world and his name alone has attracted millions of tourists to South Africa every year, wanting to walk in his footsteps.

 In 1993, the year before Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected president, South Africa had 3.4. million international arrivals. In 2012 South Africa welcomed 13.5 million people to the country, of which close to 9.2 million were tourists.

 His legacy has transformed the tourism landscape in South Africa. Robben Island, where he was imprisoned for 27 years, is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the country’s biggest tourism attractions. The street in which he lived in Soweto, Vilakazi Street, the only street in the world to have been home to two Nobel Peace Prize Winners – Mr Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has been the catalyst for Soweto’s thriving tourism industry. Other important sites in Mandela’s story, Liliesleaf Farm, once the headquarters of Umkhonto we Sizwe and the site of Mandela’s arrest near Howick, have both been developed into tourism attractions.

The Apartheid Museum, Freedom Park and the Hector Pieterson Museum are just some of the other tourism sites that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year thanks to the inspiration of Nelson Mandela.

 Nelson Mandela will be sorely missed forever by every South African. We are however heartened that South Africans and the rest of the world can continue to be inspired and touched by him by visiting the places where he walked, talked, planned, dreamed, laughed, cried and ultimately changed the course of South Africa and the world’s history.

In the next few days and going forward, we will remain true to the authentic soul of this nation: a warmly welcoming and hospitable people who now, in great sadness – but with immense gratitude for the life of this great man – welcome people from near and far who arrive to mourn Madiba’s loss with us.

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Johannesburg – The MTN Group conveys its heartfelt condolences to the Mandela family, and the people of South Africa and the world on the passing away of former President Nelson Mandela yesterday.

“Former President Mandela leaves behind a rich legacy of reconciliation, world peace and the triumph of the human spirit over all adversity. He embodied the spirit of human rights and dignity in the way he lived his own life,” says Sifiso Dabengwa, MTN Group President and CEO.

“His 50-year fight, including 27 years in jail, helped bring democracy and freedom to our country. Even after 27 years of prison and hardship, only one thing counted for Madiba, as Mandela was affectionately called by his clan name: creating a democratic, prosperous future for all the people of the new South Africa. This combination of humanity and unique statesmanship made his true greatness manifest for the entire world,” says Dabengwa.

Dabengwa said the dawn of South Africa’s democracy in 1994 coincided with the founding of MTN and today, MTN operates in 22 markets across Africa and the Middle East, with more than 200 million customers and still growing.

The MTN Group President and CEO said the founding democratic leader achieved so much, touched so many people and showed much leadership and courage.

“He never lost his compassion, humility and common humanity. He’s an inspiration to us all.  He taught us to love ourselves, to love one another and to love our country. So, as we celebrate his selfless efforts on behalf of human dignity, it also represents an enduring challenge for us all,” adds Dabengwa.

Issued by MTN Group Corporate Affairs

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 30 September 2013, MTN recorded 203.8 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. More info on www.mtn.com

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MTN Uganda has launched an exciting promotion this festive season that will see its over 8.4 million customers enjoy a Free Minute every day to call their loved ones on MTN. The offer applies to all MTN customers including Prepaid, Postpaid and Corporate Prepaid. Customers who wish to join this promotion can simply register for free by dialing *189#. Customers can use their Free Minute every day, from Monday to Sunday, between 6am and 9am.

MTN Uganda Chief Marketing Officer, Ernst Fonternel, described the promotion as a simple, innovative and value adding offer to their customers which is easy to understand and use and named it ‘Good Morning Uganda!’ Fonternel encouraged customers to register for the promotion to benefit from the Free Minute to reach out and call their loved ones, friends and family this festive season.

“At MTN we recognize and appreciate the value of our customers and it’s a great pleasure to allow them to make that one minute free call, every day, to greet someone special a ‘Good morning’ for the next 90 days.” concluded Mr. Fonternel.

About MTN Uganda

Launched in 1998, MTN Uganda is the leading communications operator in Uganda, offering Mobile and Fixed telecommunications, Mobile Money Services and Internet Service Provisioning. As of 30 September 2013, MTN Uganda recorded 8.4 million subscribers across Uganda. Visit us at www.mtn.co.ug and for our football fans www.mtnfootball.com. Customers can also follow us on www.youtube.com/mtnug and www.twitter.com/mtnugandacare for assistance.

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 30 September 2013, MTN recorded 203.8 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. Visit us at www.mtn.com.

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Following the successful two day Business Training for over eighty Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Northern Uganda, the much anticipated training was taken to the Western region where over 150 participants converged at Lake View Hotel in Mbarara, to benefit from the programme that aims at empowering the SME segment with the knowledge and skills required to run successful businesses. The training programme attracted participants from Bushenyi, Kabale, Masaka, Mbarara and Fort Portal districts.

For the last two years, the program which is run in partnership KPMG Uganda delivers the technical expertise covered the following topics: Internal Controls, Working Capital Management, Business Planning, Interpretation of Bank Statements and Basic Knowledge of Taxation.

According to MTN officials in Western Uganda, the 150 participants were vetted from the over 280 entries received. The vetting exercise took into consideration the applicants’ ability to adhere to the tenets of business principles and whether they qualify to be categorised under SMEs.

Over the years there has been a phenomenal growth particularly in the SME market and this has formed the backbone of Uganda’s economic growth. It is with this in mind that MTN has chosen to consistently support this section of the economy.

The training is well suited for the participants, covering a number of topics ranging from creating and preserving wealth, book keeping and personnel management through business planning and strategy development.

Representing MTN Uganda, the Senior Manager Enterprise, Hazel Twesigye said starting this year, the training which initially handled 100 SMEs a year, has now been regionalized, with each region to be represented by 150 businesses.

This year, the first MTN Business regional training for SMEs was successfully held in the North at Bomah Hotel in Gulu on the 20th of November 2013, attracting over eighty participants from the districts of Gulu, Apac, Lira, Kitgum, Masindi and surrounding areas. All the participants were presented with certificates on completion of the two day Business Management training. Other regional events will be rolled out in 2014 to ensure that the regional focus is maintained.

Talking about the selection criteria of the participants, Twesigye said participants were asked to apply for the training, and thereafter vetted done by the consulting team as to whether they are indeed an SME and stand to gain from the training.

She said MTN has launched a number of products and services aimed at making the lives of the business community as well as SMEs a whole lot better. She pointed out MTN Cloud services as one such package that is increasingly becoming popular with business community as a one-stop shop for all their business related data/software solutions.

At the end of the training, participants were hosted by MTN to an evening cocktail, officiated by the Mayor of Mbarara Town, Mr. Wilson Tumwine. During the closing ceremony the participants were awarded with certificates.

Delivering his remarks, Tumwine said, “Training for Business people such as the one MTN Uganda has initiated is definitely a welcomed initiative as it provides business people with the right expertise to not only start up new business ventures but to also grow and sustain their current business to ensure optimum output and profitability. This is particularly important with the recent consolidation of the East African Confederation and the move towards the globalisation of business dealings”.

He urged the participants to apply the knowledge they have acquired from the MTN training programme for their personal development and also as a tool to curve an edge in the face of competition.

The dinner was also attended by representatives from MTN Business, the MTN dealer representatives for the Western region, NGOs and Corporates from Mbarara. The evening was crowned off with a draw in which some participants won WiFi routers courtesy of MTN Uganda to further enhance their businesses.

MTN Uganda has enabled job creation with direct and indirect support for more than 500,000 Ugandans and largely contributed to the overall growth of the economy as the top tax payer. MTN’s long-term commitment to Uganda is strong, driven and aligned with Uganda and the aspirations of its people – seeking to build and develop the capacity of Ugandans, strengthen the nation’s economy and enable ICT across all regions of the country. MTN’s long-term commitment to Uganda is strong, driven and aligned with Uganda and the aspirations of its people – seeking to build and develop the capacity of Ugandans, strengthen the nation’s economy and enable ICT across all regions of the country. On an annual basis MTN Uganda invests over Ushs.1.5 billion in the training and development of its employees.

About MTN Uganda

Launched in 1998, MTN Uganda is the leading communications operator in Uganda, offering Mobile and Fixed telecommunications, Mobile Money Services and Internet Service Provisioning. As of 30 September 2013, MTN Uganda recorded 8.4 million subscribers across Uganda. Visit us at www.mtn.co.ug and for our football fans www.mtnfootball.com. Customers can also follow us on www.youtube.com/mtnug and www.twitter.com/mtnugandacare for assistance.

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 30 September 2013, MTN recorded 203.8 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. Visit. Visit us at, www.mtnbusiness.com , www.mtn.com www.mtnmmo.com  and for our football fans www.mtnfootball.com

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The eviction show on Saturday was unique from the previous eviction shows, this time around contestants had the opportunity to perform to their favorite songs. Patrick from Rwanda kicked off the show with a great rendition of Eric Wainaina’s Nchi ya Kitu Kidogo. This was followed by Kojjo, Hope and Phionah who took the stage next performing Mulembe gwa Kirya by Maurice Kirya, delivering a lovely performance despite the microphone interruption which did not throw the contestants off balance.

Next on stage were the powerful diva’s Nyambura and Daisy who performed the famous Kenny Rodgers song something inside so strong, it was a powerful and impressive performance from the two ladies. Amos and Josh surprised the audience and took a risk performing to Nameless’s Deadly. The two gave and incredible performance breaking the so called “Nameless Curse” looming over the Tusker Project Fame dome. After all the performances, the eviction results came in which saw two contestants shown the door of the academy. Unfortunately Kojjo from Uganda and the beautiful Phionah from Rwanda who received the least number of votes from East Africa and were evicted from the house.

The show on Sunday was under the musical direction of the duo Atemi and Tim Rimbui who have been on the show before bringing their vast experience in the music industry to the contestants throughout the week.

With less than a week left till the grand finale the contestants definitely brought their A-game and killed the mash-up’s. Daisy from Uganda and Nyambura from Kenya opened the show with a performance of I’m a Survivor by Destiny’s Child mash-up with the iconic anthem I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. The divas enjoyed their moment under the bright lights despite Daisy slightly over shadowing Nyambura with a more powerful vocal performance. Next on stage was the ladies’ man from Tanzania Hisia who performed the famous Femi Kuti song Bang Bang Bang in a mash up with Best You Ever Had by John Legend. Despite a good and energetic performance the arrangement of the mash-up itself fell short as the tempos failed to balance out perfectly.

Patrick from Rwanda came on next with a mash up of Misery by Maroon 5 and Smooth Criminal by Micheal Jackson, and it was truly a great performance as he demonstrated the vocal maturity he has acquired during his stay in the academy. Uganda’s final contestant Daisy came next and had the dome blown away with her performance of Rolling in the Deep by Adele mashed up with Crazy. She gave the song an emotional backing and this was recognized by the Judges who were equally stunned by her performance.

Hope from Burundi then performed to Trey Song’s Rendition mashed up with Coming Home by Sauti Sol, which Judge Ian called “a performance that was deserved of a winner.” The duo from Kenya closed the night with Alingo by P-square mashed up with Don’t Worry Child by Swedish House Mafia and got the crowd going with their dancing skills and got a great review from the judges.

The weekly viewing party hosted by Uganda Breweries Limited at Panamera Bar had revellers come out to watch the show and show their support for Daisy. Her performance of the night blew the audience away giving a standing ovation, a first throughout the season of the show.

There were two lucky winners of Watch and Win’ promotion who were awarded a cheque of UGX 1milllion from the Tusker Lager. Speaking at the viewing party yesterday Brand Manager Joy Mwine said that “during this final week there a huge UGX 5 million up for grabs for those participating in the promotion.” The night was rounded off with the sounds of DJ Aludah who had revellers on their feet throughout the night.

With just six days to the end of Tusker Project Fame Season 6, all contestants in the academy stand an equal opportunity to pocket the money plus a one year record deal with Universal Music Group South Africa. East Africa will now have to vote to for the winner of the show. Ugandans can vote for Daisy sending an SMS with the word TUSKER followed by her number to 8338. Voting ends on Saturday.

Contestants’ voting numbers:

Daisy – Tusker 7,

Patrick- Tusker 9,

Hisia – Tusker 12,

Amos and Josh-Tusker 6,

Hope-Tusker4,

Nyambura – Tusker 10

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British Airways has joined in celebrating this festive season by providing discounted fares from Entebbe to London and Europe across all its cabin classes this winter. Passengers can expect to enjoy discounts of up to 40% on tickets in World traveller, World traveller Plus and Club world.    

Announcing the development in a press statement today Faith Chaitezvi, British Airways Country Commercial Manager said, “As a full service Airline, British Airways would like to thank all our customers for the loyalty and support they have given us in the course of the year”.

She continued “we understand that Christmas season is a very special time for everyone and we felt that it would be appropriate to make a kind gesture by making it more affordable for family and friends to get together. By making it cheaper to travel to London we know many of our passengers will enjoy themselves because apart from London being a transit destination it is a popular end of year city and home to culture, cuisine and shopping “

Discounted prices are as follows:

• World traveler- $370 USD,
• World traveller plus -$580
• Club World ticket- $ 1,542.  

Outbound passengers can book seats between today (1st December, 2013) to 14^th December and can only travel between the 24^th and 31^st December 2013, while keeping in mind that all travel should be completed by 31^st January 2014.                                                                               Rates exclude all taxes, fees and surcharges, with prices subject to availability.      

Faith encouraged passengers to take advantage of the offer because London during Christmas seasons has a lot to offer in terms of culture, cuisine and shopping “this is why the city is such a popular year-end holiday destination” she concluded.