Johannesburg - A simple tweet from 22-year-old law student Inge Beukes has earned her grandmother, Hester, a free kulula.com plane ticket to see her grandchild graduate next year.
Inge Beukes and her grandmother Hester.
Beukes, who just completed her BA Law degree at the University of Pretoria, sent a tweet, unbeknown of how it would trend, on December 9. In it, she tweeted to her followers: “Called my gran to tell her I got my degree and she burst out in tears. Turns out she’s been using her pension for the past few months to save up for a flight ticket to Gauteng for my graduation. If that does not love, then I don’t know what is.” (sic).
The tweet, which has over 594 retweets and 4,600 likes, touched the hearts of many, including kulula.com and Protea Hotels.
“I am more of an occasional tweeter, and I did not expect the tweet to blow up the way it did. My intention for the tweet was to spread a little positivity over the festive season and motivate other people who did not graduate to pursue their dreams.
“It did come as a surprise when brands like kulula.com and Protea Hotel responded to the tweet. I was over the moon,” she said.
Called my gran to tell her I got my degree and she burst out in tears.
Turns out she’s been using her pension for the past few months to save up for a flight ticket to Gauteng for my graduation.
If that’s not love, then I don’t know what is.
— inge. (@ComradeInge) December 9, 2018
Beukes called her 73-year-old gran about her accomplishment and found out that she was saving money from her pension to purchase a ticket for the graduation.
“I am the first grandchild to graduate so this is a pretty big deal for my family, so my grandmother is super excited. I am grateful that she will be there to mark this achievement with me,” she said.
Hi there! We would love to help with a ticket for your Gran. 😊 DM us your details and when the flight is for and we'll get into contact with you.
— kulula (@kulula) December 10, 2018
Congratulations on completing your studies, Inge! Protea Hotels by Marriott would be delighted to host your Grandmother during your graduation. Please DM us your contact details so we can reach out to make the booking.
— Protea Hotels (@ProteaHotels) December 11, 2018
Brand Communication Manager BA & Kulula.com, Luane Lavery, congratulated Beukes on her achievement.
“As kulula, we know the importance of family and how important it is to be there for the “big occasions” in life. We are in the business of getting people at these big occasions, and being the festive season and the season for giving, nothing will make us happier than giving this gift to Inge’s family,” she said.