ALPHA MEDIA HOLDINGS (AMH) chairman Trevor Ncube, several diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe, ministers and businesspeople were nominated to eat fresh red chilli and make a donation towards ZimboLove Foundation in a move aimed at raising funds for those in need of blood.
BY MOSES MATENGA
AMH are the publishers of the flagship dailyNewsDay, The Standard, Zimbabwe Independent and Southern Eye.
Among the diplomats and ministers nominated for the RedChilliChallenge were Information and Communication Technology minister Supa Mandiwanzira, US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Bruce Wharton, British Ambassador to Zimbabwe Catriona Laing, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Lin Lin, Health and Child Care minister David Parirenyatwa and Tourism minister Walter Mzembi.
Information minister Jonathan Moyo, Environment Water and Climate minister Saviour Kasukuwere, President Robert Mugabe’s nephew Patrick Zhuwao and several others were also nominated.
Journalists nominated included Zimpapers Editor-in-Chief Pikirayi Deketeke, Geoff Nyarota and ZiFM head of news Kelvin Jakachira. Ncube was nominated by Thembe Khumalo while businessman Philip Chiyangwa nominated Kasukuwere, Moyo and Zhuwao.
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Mandiwanzira nominated Wharton, Laing, Jakachira and several others. The move, according to chairperson and founder of ZimboLove Foundation Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa was meant to raise funds and blood to help those in need.
Speaking during the launch on Thursday, Ruvheneko said she was inspired to raise awareness and resources for the project by the criticism she received from people after her video, participating in the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral.
The Ice Bucket Challenge was an activity involving dumping a bucket of ice water on someone’s head to promote awareness and raise resources.
The challenge encourages nominated participants to be filmed having a bucket of ice water poured on their heads and then nominating others to do the same.
Known people who participated in the challenge include businessman Bill Gates who was nominated by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah Winfrey and several international sporting icons among other celebrities.
In the ZimboLove Foundation case, participants should record themselves eating fresh red chilli and then nominate others to do the same.
Those who take the challenge were to record themselves and post the video on social media platform.
Each person who accepted the challenge should also donate $1 or more towards the cause. If one refused, they were compelled to donate $5 or more to the initiative and a pint of blood to the National Blood Service of Zimbabwe.
Speaking at the launch, Ruvheneko said: “Blood is life. Imagine your mother, your brother, your sister who is HIV positive, who has cancer or was involved in an accident and need blood that costs $150 a pint.”
“I translated criticism into something positive and sent a tweet and said anybody interested to come together for this can come to ZiFM.” Mandiwanzira said he was impressed by the desire to save lives by ZimboLove and pledged radio airtime on ZiFM for the project.
Chiyangwa donated $1 200 in cash and two stands for the project in the area of ZimboLove’s choice.