JOHANNESBURG, 2014-6-13 — /Travel PR News/ — The national flag carrier, South African Airways (SAA), will fly nine lucky young winners – one from each province – who won a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an all-expenses paid-for trip to Brazil where they will attend a world cup soccer match between Iran and Nigeria on 16 June 2014 – which coincides with Youth Day in South Africa.
Focused primarily (but not exclusively) on the youth born from/in or after 1994, the ‘born-frees’ winners were selected from a radio competition on Metro FM where they had to leave a creative and interesting message in the format of a pilot’s in-flight welcome announcement, and motivating why they deserve a seat on the Freedom Flyers flight to Brazil.
SAA spokesperson, Mr Tlali Tlali, says: “This initiative is in line with South Africa’s 20 years of democracy and SAA’s 80th anniversary. Before 1994, the youth played a pivotal role in changing the history of South Africa, and today we are part of the global community. This trip will give the lucky winners a glimpse of what democracy has heralded: Taking Africa to the world. It is for this reason that they are referred to as Freedom Flyers,” said Tlali.
The youth is going out there as ambassadors of democracy and it is believed the trip will contribute towards their dynamism as future leaders who will become the voices of change, contribute towards the betterment of their communities, and share their experiences from what they learned in Brazil.
18-year-old Phemelo Pooe, from North West province who is completing her four matric subjects and living with her single mom says: “I am excited to be part of this trip. It almost seemed impossible that one day I would be boarding an aeroplane to an international destination. I am grateful for this opportunity.”
Speaking at the send-off event held in Kempton Park, Minister of Sports, Fikile Mbalula said: “it is not a moment of adventure but it is exposure to the world to help these Freedom Flyers have a broader perspective on life.”
The team departed Thursday, 12 June (at 23h20) and will return on 18 June 2014.
The lucky winners who are travelling to Brazil are: Winnie Skhosana (Gauteng); Matshediso Mohono (Limpopo); Ayanda Manoka (Mpumalanga); Njabulo Shange (Kwa-Zulu Natal); Buyelwa Xundu (Western Cape); Zandisile Nimbama (Eastern Cape); Ursula Moalahi (Northern Cape); Phemelo Pooe (North West); and Lebogang Mosime (Free State).
Other sponsors include Mango, SA Express and Airlink, who flew the winners from their respective provinces to Johannesburg where they will depart for Brazil.
The competition was also made possible by Trade Mark and Metro FM.
ENDS
About South African Airways
South African Airways (SAA), Africa’s most awarded airline, operates to 40 destinations worldwide.
In its domestic market SAA has an extensive schedule operating 554 flights in total per week between Johannesburg – Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth, from its Johannesburg hub, as well as code-shared flights between Lanseria – Cape Town and Durban. SAA offers more frequencies than any other airline in South Africa.
Regionally, SAA offers 24 destinations across the African continent including Abidjan, Accra, Blantyre, Brazzaville, Cotonou, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Douala, Entebbe, Harare, Kinshasa, Lagos, Libreville, Lilongwe, Livingstone, Luanda, Lusaka, Maputo, Mauritius, Nairobi, Ndola, Pointe Noire, Victoria Falls and Windhoek.
SAA’s international network creates links to all major continents from South Africa through 10 direct routes and code shares, with daily flights from Johannesburg to London (Heathrow), Frankfurt, Munich, Mumbai, Perth, Hong Kong, Beijing, New York, Washington, and Sao Paulo. SAA has codes share agreements with 29 other airlines across the markets it serves. The airline has extended its code share agreement with Mango, its low cost operator, to also include coastal cities in South Africa (between Johannesburg and Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and George), as well as Johannesburg – Bloemfontein; Cape Town – Bloemfontein and Cape Town – Port Elizabeth.
SAA’s core business is the provision of passenger airline and cargo transport services together with related services, which are provided through SAA and its four wholly owned subsidiaries: SAA Technical; Mango its low cost carrier; Air Chefs, the catering entity of SAA and South African Travel Centre (SATC).
SAA is a Star Alliance member which offers more than 21,900 daily flights to 1,328 airports in 195 countries. SAA is the winner of the ‘Best Airline in Africa’ Award in the regional category for eleven consecutive years. Mango and SAA hold the number one and number two successive spots as South Africa’s most on-time airlines.
For more information contact:
SAA
Tlali Tlali (Mr)
SAA spokesperson
Mob: +27 82 333 3880
Email: TlaliTlali@flysaa.com
Digital
Website: www.flysaa.com
Twitter: @flysaa
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