BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE – Three First Finance customers got an opportunity to race through the aisles of the Nhlangano Pick n Pay, to fill up their trolleys for free, after winning the First Finance 60-second trolley dash monthly promotion.
The first set of winners of the First Finance Trolley Dash promotion from the Nhlangano Branch were; Simelane Agnes, Sibusiso Kunene, and Khetsiwe Dlamini.
The first set of the monthly trolley dashes was held on Tuesday. One of the winners, Khetsiwe Dlamini, who is a teacher, said she was happy and lucky to walk away with groceries worth E2,243.72 for free. Her relationship with First Finance dates to over a decade ago. She thanked First Finance for the rare opportunity to fill up their trolleys for free.
“I am very happy, even though the 60 seconds seemed not enough, but I was able to take as much groceries as I had hoped to get. The upward pressure on food prices is adding a burden on our households. Whatever we can buy, hardly finishes a month. So, this is a huge relief for my household. I hope I will be able to save a little bit of cash this month to address other pressing needs,” she said.
Simelane Agnes who is a pensioner was also ecstatic after getting groceries for free. However, at the age of 75 years old, she couldn’t dash herself. Instead, she was represented by her grandchild who was seen taking instructions from her on what she should prioritise and she managed to get free groceries worth E1,819.82.
Simelane said the groceries she got were almost double the amount of groceries that she usually buys every month. “I made sure that we get everything necessary to carry us through at least through to the next payday of my pension,” she said.
Simelane was assisted by First Finance after reaching her retirement. Therefore, she commended the company for assisting her as other options she tried did not work out because she was already retired.
“I ran from pillar to post trying to get financial assistance after our houses were demolished from where we were living as farm dwellers. Someone advised me to try First Finance and I eventually got assistance to build my house. I also thank them for these free groceries. I am very grateful to First Finance because I wouldn’t have afforded to buy them at once,” she said.
The third winner, Sibusiso Kunene who is also a teacher was able to gather items worth E1,368.59. “It was a big surprise when I got the call from First Finance because I was not even aware of the promotion,” he said.
Kunene said his relationship with First Finance also dates back to over 10 years ago.
“I work as a contract teacher and it is difficult to get a loan from other institutions. Through the assistance that I have received from First Finance, I have been able to build a proper house at home and buy a car,” he said.
The winners were congratulated by First Finance General Manager Thulani Dlamini. He said the promotion is part of the company’s series of planned initiatives to reward their clients who are at the heart of the company’s success over the past 13 years.
“This promotion is one of several ways of showing appreciation for their loyalty,” he said.
“We also know that our clients, like many households, are experiencing a decline in real income due to inflationary pressures as inflation increases the prices of fundamental necessities such as food. As a result, most households have a hard time making ends meet. With the price of food skyrocketing worldwide, we are also using this promotion to provide relief for our lucky clients concerning their basic daily groceries,” he added.
The next stop for the First Finance trolley dashes will be in Manzini and Mbabane in September and October. All that First Finance clients should do to stand a chance to win and take part in one of these most exciting shopping sweeps is to apply for a new loan, or loan consolidation at any of the company’s remaining branches Manzini and Mbabane. The trolley dash is capped at E3,000.
First Finance Company provides a wide range of general-purpose financial services across the country. Since 2010, the company has expanded its footprint and professional teams throughout the country to meet the dynamic financial needs of its clients which include salaried employees of government, parastatals, and selected private companies.
