The Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF) has received an injection of E130 000 towards this year’s Imbube marathon.
The latest companies to announce their financial support entail Ubombo Sugar Limited which donated E50 000 followed by Inhonhla with E35 000, the Industrial Development Company of Eswatini (IDCE) with E25 000, and finally Unifoods donating E20 000.
The sponsorships were announced by ENPF’s Board Chairperson Mduduzi Gina today at the Happy Valley Hotel.
This means there are now a total of nine companies that have pledged financial support towards this year’s Imbube marathon competition.
The donations towards the Imbube marathon now stand at E660 000 following previous donations made by Standard Bank Eswatini, Stefanutti Stocks, Build it Mbabane, Manzini Municipality, and Old Mutual Eswatini.
The ENPF Chairperson expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Fund and noted that it is their social responsibility to ensure that members live a healthy lifestyle.
“We are immensely grateful for the donations that we have received from Ubombo Sugar Limited, Unifoods, and Inhlonhla for this generous donation. This is more than a race but a celebration of our heritage. By supporting the marathon we are contributing to the socio-economical development of the country.”
He said the funds will be used to support other initiatives in the country.
ENPF CEO Prince Lonkhokhela in his address stated that the marathon is now bigger as it is now an international event.
He said the benefit of it being an international event is that the country’s tourism sector will also benefit immensely.
The Prince encouraged emaSwati to register for the marathon as it is now open. He said those that will register late will pay a penalty of E50.
“We encourage everyone to take advantage of the early registration period which has since been extended to the 10th of September 2023. Late registration comes with a penalty of E50 and shall be from the 11th of September to the 22nd of October 2023.”
Worth noting is that this is the first time the event will be held since the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
The CEO added that this year’s competition is also inclusive and special as it will feature the elderly and people living with disabilities. The aforementioned group will not be paying to participate in the race.
He revealed that sponsorship opportunities are still open and for those that would love to exhibit, the opportunity is still open.
Leonard Ndzimandze, Head of Corporate Affairs at Ubombo Sugar Limited spoke on behalf of sponsors and noted that they were excited to be part of this year’s marathon.
He reiterated that they are not only extending financial support but showing commitment towards the competition.
“Ubombo Sugar will send a team to compete in this year’s race. Our employees will embark on a physical journey. Their participation will range from the 3.3km to the 42.3km races. As Ubombo Sugar Limited we have registered over 250 employees for the marathon.”