Mdantsane man over the moon after winning Dispatch car competition

Mandilakhe Pukaza of Mdantsane is the lucky winner of this year’s Daily Dispatch “Win a Car” draw, which took place on Tuesday at the newspaper’s offices in East London.

Pukaza’s name was selected from thousands of entries, and he walks away with a brand-new Suzuki Fronx.

The lucky draw formed part of a special reader competition held to thank loyal subscribers and readers for their continued support.

“It was my first time winning anything — and it was a brand-new car, when I have never even owned a brand-new phone,” said a delighted Pukaza, 30.

“I am still shaking. I’ve been pacing and I’m so excited I can’t even sit down.”

Pukaza, who owns an upholstery business, said the car would be a major help, as relying on public transport had been inconvenient — especially during bad weather.

“Because I’m in the upholstery business, I assumed the call was from one of my clients,” he said. “When I picked up, being told I was the lucky winner was the last thing on my mind.”

He said he had only submitted one entry form — a second was filled in by his partner.

During the draw, thousands of entries were pooled. Ten were selected, followed by a random draw of three from those ten. The ultimate winner was then drawn from the final three.

Overseeing the process were Daily Dispatch senior staff, Ronnies Motors Suzuki manager Shane Luck, and auditor Rachel Hannan of Marais & Smith Chartered Accountants.

Hannan said the competition had been well-organised and professionally run.

“All the entries made it into the pool, and everything was done the way it should have been — especially when it came to transparency,” she said. “It’s always wonderful to hear someone’s excitement when they’re told they’ve won the prize. It’s really heartwarming.”

Daily Dispatch