Multichoice Namibia celebrates silver jubilee

Multichoice Namibia concluded it’s 25th birthday celebrations with a phenomenal live show at its headquarters in Windhoek on Friday. Highlighting the Eros skyline with flashing lights, the iconic night saw President Hage Geingob and First Lady Monica Geingos in attendance as well as various dignitaries, stakeholders and partners.

The night started off with the sultry sounds of Imms Nicolau on the guitar and Suzy Eises on the saxophone, as guests were treated to a table full of oysters and drinks to the heart’s delight on the balcony overlooking the city.

“We are here to celebrate Multichoice Namibia’s silver jubilee,” Lizette Foot, corporate communications manager of Multichoice said during the welcoming speech. “Entertainment is a powerful way to tell stories. It makes us laugh, cry and it informs. Together, we have made it to where we are today.”

The main event took place downstairs as the head office was transformed into a glamorous showroom where guests were entertained by performances from Gazza, Lady May, Leather Mein and Stefan Ludik while Lize Ehlers belted out a rendition of ‘We Are The Champions’ as Namibian boxer Paulus ‘The Rock’ Ambunda and his ring girls showed off his championship belts. Mark Kariahuua brought out his funny side with a short stand-up comedy about his life as a celebrity. ‘Big Brother Africa’ stars Maria Nepembe, Luis Munana and Dillish Mathews graced the audience with their presence and in a surprising twist, Mathews donned the blue dress from the day she emerged as 2013’s ‘Big Brother Africa’ winner.

Spearheading a smooth transition with each performance, television stars Tjuna Kauapirura and David Mbeha played the hosts of the evening by acting as a couple in a makeshift living room.

Brand de Villiers, chief executive officer of Multichoice Africa, said it was an absolute privilege to celebrate with Multichoice Namibia. “Business experts will tell you that very few start-up businesses survive for more than ten or fifteen years. As such this is an extraordinary celebration – 25 years of a business born, bred and operated in Africa by Africans. Namibia is one of the key pillars of our business. It’s a thriving and stable business. A further key ingredient of our business success is having great local shareholders who steer the ship. It has been a successful partnership with Kalahari Holdings which has stood the test of time,” he said, further elaborating on the extensive coverage of Namibia on platforms such as KykNet, Zambezi Magic and SuperSports among many others. “I would like to thank the dedicated and hardworking Namibian staff. I encourage them to ensure that we always put our customers at the heart of everything we do.”

Milka Mungunda, chairperson of Multichoice Namibia, drew inspiration for her speech from Oprah Winfrey’s story on when she was a young girl. “Multichoice Namibia has realised that we are all regular people. Multichoice Namibia gives the opportunity to the regular people to be have and be heard, to share their stories and allow others to see themselves for a moment and give them a glimpse to triumph. To date, MCN has done a direct economic impact of some US$11,9 each year on our contribution to our communities. Our national footprint extends across the country.” She also appealed to the government to support the local arts, particularly in film and television. “The world is changing, therefore we are in the business of we can, we did it and we shall be doing it again.”

Deputy minister of information and communication technology Stanley Simaata heartily introduced President Geingob who delivered a comedic, yet heartfelt dialogue about Multichoice Namibia, sports and the Namibian house. “Multichoice Namibia is showing us how our country is, the beauty of it and of course, soccer. We can sit in our homes and peacefully watch our sports. We have freedom. People are using their mouths, attacking the government but they don’t shoot at them. They are talking. The moment you are quiet, I will be worried.”

As guests wined and dined after the official speeches were over, it was certainly a night to remember.