JOHANNESBURG - MTN on Wednesday said that it will be discontinuing its 21km race in aid of ICT projects as this will allow it the opportunity to strengthen its focus on ICT initiatives which will benefit more beneficiaries.
The MTN Group said in a statement that new and important initiatives, designed to have a positive impact on the youth, will be launched at the beginning of June.
This will be part of the 2019 edition of 21 Days of Y'ello Care. Last year June saw the fifth edition of the MTN 21 km race.
"We have been encouraged by the overwhelming support that the MTN 21KM race has received over the years, and are pleased with how it has contributed to and created awareness around the importance of broadening access to ICT in disadvantaged communities," general manager of the MTN SA Foundation Kusile Mtunzi-Hairwadzi said.
"It was, however, more important for us to look at how we allocate our funding to ensure that even more beneficiaries are able to benefit from this."
MTN thanked the thousands of runners and supporters of the race, its partners and the community of Roodepoort for getting behind the 21km race and what it represented.
"Through our School Connectivity programme, we will continue to roll out multimedia centres and provide free connectivity to schools, nursing colleges and other community upliftment programmes.
"We remain committed to making a positive difference in the communities that we serve through the work we do in the fields of education, health, entrepreneurship and the arts," added Mtunzi-Hairwadzi.
Since its formation, the MTN 21KM race has successfully raised funds generated from the proceeds to support ICT initiatives across the country.