T-Systems has presented Olympic gold medallist Wayde van Niekerk with a R1-million gift.
“It’s our gesture of thanks, honouring Wayde for the way he’s inspired millions of South Africans to believe in their own dreams and chase after success,” says Mpumi Nhlapo, head of T-Systems South Africa’s marketing, communications, IT portfolio and solution sales.
Van Niekerk won gold in the 400m race at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and set a new world record time of 43,03 seconds.
His partnership with T-Systems extends back to well before the Olympics began. “The similarities between Wayde’s disruptive approach to athletics, and our disruptive approach to business transformation, have always been clearly evident,” Nhlapo adds.
“Wayde’s achievements reflect our vision to change the established rules of how businesses operate. We’re committed to helping our clients achieve success that they never thought were possible – in the same way that the pundits never thought it was possible for someone to smash the world record from lane 8.”
To help fans to follow Van Niekerk as he competes in events around the world, T-Systems recently launched the Wayde’s World portal and social media channels. It features exclusive news, photos and videos from both his athletic and his philanthropic endeavours. In just a few weeks, the Wayde’s World Facebook fan page has attracted over 40 000 fans.
“Wayde is known for his balanced approach to his profession, and to his life in general, with a dedication to three core areas of spirituality, physical well-being, and the family and community aspects,” Nhlapo says.
“As a family-focused, community-oriented organisation, this holistic approach resonated without our values of giving back to the communities in which we operate, via our multitude of development programmes.”
Pictured: Wayde van Niekerk with T-Systems CEO Gert Schoonbee.
R1m gift for Van Niekerk
