The pricey new generation Ford Ranger becomes her first
car.
Ms Dende did not even attend the draw, which was held in
front of thousands of people at the Borrowdale Racecourse in Harare, as she did
not expect to emerge with any of the prizes on offer. She said she was shocked
when phoned by OK Zimbabwe and told she was the winner of the Ford Ranger.
In an interview with The Herald yesterday from her base in
Kadoma, the ecstatic Ms Dende said: “I am very happy, this is a very big thing
that has happened to me, especially because I was not expecting it at all.
“I am actually glad to see that anyone has a chance to win
these OK promotions, something I never believed in before.”
Ms Dende is employed as a procurement officer at Odyssey
Hotel in Kadoma.
Previously, there were allegations that some winners
dabbled in juju to enhance their chances of winning, but Ms Dende said it could
only be God for her.
“I believe in God and nothing else,” she said. “I go to
Celebration Church and it can only be God who showed his hand upon my life.
This is the first car that I have ever owned and I am still in awe.”
Asked what she was planning to do with the car as some past
winners said they would sell the big car and then buy a smaller one and a
house, Ms Dende said she was still numb and had not given much thought to that
yet. “So far I have no plans, I am still in shock,” she said.
A record 12,1 million entries were made in the 2023 edition of the OK Grand Challenge, and over US$1 million worth of prizes were up for grabs.
The 35th annual promotion kicked-off nationwide on April 5,
and ran until last Saturday.
Over 40 Nissan NP200s and the Ford Ranger double cab won by
Ms Dende, were up for grabs in this year’s edition, courtesy of a diverse
network of suppliers.
Included in the vehicle prizes were the Shoppers Choice
Loyalty Club NP200 and the Ritebrand car prize where customers qualified through
buying groceries worth $15 000 and $10 000 of the brands exclusively found in
OK stores.
These were complemented by weekly prizes, whose
qualification criteria required customers to buy general groceries worth $10
000.
In his remarks at the event, OK Zimbabwe Limited chief
executive officer Mr Maxen Karombo said: “The OK Grand Challenge has grown to
be the biggest, most memorable and most adored brand south of the Sahara.
“The aim of the Grand Challenge is to give our customers
the biggest savings in the year through discounts. As we close this year’s
edition we start planning for a bigger, better version of the OK Grand
Challenge 2024.”
The winning horse was Down to Business beating the
16-strong field, to land the US$90 000 OK Grand Challenge horse race.
Mashonaland Turf Club vice chairman Mr Scott Buchan said
the partnership between them and OK had transcended into more than just a horse
race.
“It is more than just a national sporting event and if I
may acknowledge OK’s obvious transformation over the last two years, their
investment into our sport has grown to be the largest yet, with US$90 000 being
put across the races held on the day,” said Mr Buchan.
OK Grand Challenge is the biggest and longest running
retail promotion in Zimbabwe, having been launched 1988.
The group skipped the 2020 edition owing to Covid-19.
The group continues to grow its branch network under
diverse brands like OK Stores, OK Mart, Bon Marche, and the recently acquired
Food Lovers, (all but one separately franchised branch) as well as specialty
stores like pharmacies. Herald
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