Klerksdorp’s Christo Rossouw has escaped the noose and has been named the winner of Cell C’s thrilling reality show Hangman, walking away with R1-million prize money.
The 35-year-old impressed the judges and viewers with his innovative mosquito repellent lamp and beat off strong challenges from the remaining two finalists – Bonex Mwakikunga with his diabetes breathalyser and Chelsea Anne Hornby who developed the Elle reusable menstrual cup.
Thanks to the TV series, Rossouw also has a distribution deal with Fever Tree, which will be testing his products in the market in three big supermarket chains, and believes the potential for his product is endless.
“I always focus on social innovations when entering competitions,” says Rossouw. “There is a huge need to provide the underprivileged with affordable and effective solutions to problems that they are facing. One of the biggest issues in the world that poor people face is malaria. Mosquito-borne diseases are responsible for close to a million deaths annually, infecting around 1-billion people every year.
“I was looking to design a product that would be more effective and more affordable than products already on the market. Something that would act as a social innovation, but also have market potential.
“My mosquito diffuser is three times cheaper than the cheapest electric heater on the market,” he adds. “It does not use additional electricity to work and is compatible with refills from all major brands.
“I would like to thank Cell C for this brilliant initiative and hope they continue with it. The show was not only about good television for viewers but it gave contestants a rare opportunity to showcase their innovations. Most of us that are working a day job and innovating at night while the rest are dreaming. Because a dream is what innovation is to us,” he adds.
Jose Dos Santos, CEO of Cell C, comments: “This show was a first for South Africa. The quality of the production was world-class and viewers really embraced the show and participated actively through the Cell C reality app. More so, we are delighted that we were able to provide talented South African innovators with a platform to realise their dreams.”
The Hangman “backers” (judges), captains of industry and investment, were celebrity economist Iraj Abedian, self-made billionaire Quinton van der Burgh, Bonang Mohale, CEO of Business Leadership South Africa and businesswoman and entrepreneur Connie Mashaba. The show was hosted by Maps Maponyane.
A repeat of Hangman will be broadcast on e.tv on Saturday, December 16, at 13h00. It will also screen on eExtra on Wednesday (December 13) at 19h30 with a repeat on Thursday (December 14) at 10h00. The complete Hangman series is also available – for free – on Cell C’s newly launched entertainment and content platform, black.
