When Natasha Ndebele found out she was headed to Egypt to watch the Total Africa Cup of Nations 2019, the Johannesburg-based IT specialist thought she was being pranked. “At first, I thought it was a joke,” she says. It was, in fact, not a joke. Natasha was one of five lucky Total SA customers to win an all-expenses paid trip to Cairo - complete with a set of double tickets to a Total AFCON 2019 semi-final.
The experience
Now with her feet firmly back on home soil, Natasha says that despite Bafana Bafana having lost the game she watched, she thoroughly enjoyed the stadium experience. A long-time soccer fan, she had never before had the opportunity to watch a match from the VIP section, “Beverages were served and we had air-conditioning – an absolute blessing, given the fact that Egypt is one gigantic steam room,” she says, “We also got to meet some of the Total France team, they were lovely. And I loved having pastries and bread with every meal!”. Of the trip overall, Natasha says, “It was lit! We had a great time. It's actually hard to put into words just how phenomenal the trip was”.
She cites visiting the pyramids and the enigmatic Sphinx, as some of the highlights of her time in Egypt, “I also really enjoyed spending time with the locals and I absolutely loved the time we spent at the hotel. I have always wanted to stay at a 5 Star JW Marriott”. Says Natasha, she only wishes she had had more time to get to know the staff and create even more memories in Egypt.
“Thank-you”
“Honestly, I don't think I could ever thank Total enough,” she says, “I never used to believe that people actually win these competitions - until I won! I am forever grateful for allowing me the opportunity. I would like to give special thanks to Alex from Total France. He took really good care of us and we appreciate his hospitality”.
TotalEnergies: The official sponsor of African football since 2016
The TotalEnergies Group has been the official backer of African football since 2016, when it signed an eight-year agreement with the Confederation of African Football.
We are the title sponsors of ten competitions - three of which are inter-club and seven, national. Our sponsorship of the Total AFCON 2019, formerly the Africa Cup of Nations, speaks to the work we do to drive the continued development of the beautiful game, across the continent.