The festive season got sweeter for one lucky Daily Dispatch reader who walked away with the grand R50,000 shopping spree prize from Hemingways Mall on Saturday.
Hemingways Mall had partnered with the Daily Dispatch for the Win a Shopping Spree competition.
The competition was to give readers a good dose of festive cheer by giving away daily prizes of up to R1,000 to lucky readers, leading up to the main prize of the shopping spree.
The competition ran from November 23, with a total value of R29,950 worth of gift cards.
Michael Smale’s winning entry was pulled out of thousands of entries, making him the lucky winner to shop and feast to his heart’s desire from 10 stores and restaurants at the mall, each for up to R5,000.
The participating stores include Lovisa, Edgars, Jet and Cape Town Fish Market.
Before Smale’s name was called out, anxious hopefuls gathered at the Edgars Court.
Well-known hitmaker and award-winning DJ Mobi Dixon dived into the box and ruffled the papers before finally emerging with Smale’s entry, making him the first person to walk away with the grand prize.
Speaking to the Dispatch on Sunday, Smale said he thought a family member was playing a prank on him when he received the winning call.
“I seriously didn’t believe it, until I was told to come to Hemingways to redeem the voucher.
“I’ve never won anything before, so I am really ecstatic.
“This couldn’t have come at a better time for me as I haven’t been able to do anything beautiful for my family for the last two or three years.
“A huge thank you to Daily Dispatch and Hemingways for this beautiful gift”, he said.
Daily Dispatch marketing manager Jennilee Peremore said the competition was the paper’s way of showing value to its loyal readers.
“We created an opportunity to thank our readers and show them that we value them.”..