Chipinge housewife wins Honda Fit vehicle

By Luthando Mapepa

CHIPINGE – Wadzanayi Makuyana (23) is still to wake up from her dream. Up to now she can hardly believe that she is now a proud owner of a sleek Honda Fit vehicle.

Her dramatic turn of fortunes is courtesy of her winning the grand prize of the just-ended Jet Stores Thank You Card competition. It was never in her wildest dreams that someone from a small town like Chipinge will bag the big one considering how widespread Jet stores are across Zimbabwe.

To her, the competition was a preserve for Harare and Bulawayo shoppers, but, alas, she and other doubting Thomas were proven wrong.

Over the years, Wadzanayi questioned the criteria on coming up with the final winners of competitions. Her belief was that the competitions were manipulated to see relatives of companies’ top brass emerging as the winners.

She was not alone to harbour such thoughts as hundreds of Chipinge residents recently flocked to their local Jet branch to witness the historic event where one of their own had defied all odds to scoop the grand prize of a new vehicle.

Wadzanayi is a housewife and mother of two. Her fortunes changed after she spent less than US$50 at a Jet Store.

In an interview during the prize-presentation ceremony, Wadzanayi said she was still to recover from the shock of winning a car after buying clothes for less than US$50 for her baby Shawn.

“I received a phone call last month, with the caller informing me that I was the winner of the competition. I ignored it until I received another one from Jet officials who asked me to go to Jet Chipinge branch with my personal identification particulars.

“It was my husband who went to the shop because I was thinking that someone was taking me for a ride. My husband phoned me soon after receiving the news that indeed I was the big winner.

“My hubby was instructed to proceed to Bulawayo where the draw of the competition was conducted to process registration and insurance of the vehicle. I used to phone my husband regularly while he was in Bulawayo eager to know about the car.

While my husband was in Bulawayo he told me that the car had been successfully registered in my name, but it was difficult to accept because I only have the belief that these companies were out to rip off customers through these competitions. I thought they would sell us a dummy and repossess the car,” she said.

“I have thrown away the mentality that winners are from big cities only. I think this will spur more people from small towns like ours to enter future competitions.

“My family and friends who accompanied me to this historic event are over the moon just like me. From here all roads will be leading to our home where big celebrations have been organised,” she said.

Her husband, Innocent Makuyana, said he had already tasked his young brothers at their rural home in Green Valley to widen the driveway to accommodate the new car.

“I never thought that one day we would be proud owners of a car. Financial challenges have been our major undoing although it was our wish to have our own family car. To show our hopelessness of owning a car, we erected a small gate at our rural home, but as I am speaking now the boys are busy widening it to accommodate our car.

“My wife and I will soon be taking driving lessons,” he said.

Another winner from Chipinge, Saradzai Muchiurawa, who is employed as an agricultural extension worker, said she did not believe her ears after receiving a phone call that she had won a US$500 shopping voucher.

Muchiurawa said she only believed the good news after her sister, who is a vendor in Masvingo, phoned and told her that she had seen her name displayed at Masvingo Jet branch.

“I thought my sister was joking. I insisted that it was not me because I used to think that only big customers were chosen as winners. I travelled to Chipinge after I received another call notifying me that I should bring my identification particulars. I am more than excited,” she said. Manica Post