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Stadio building [Absa Cape Epic]

STADIO ensures education is first prize

By Cape Epic, 09/26/21, 6:45PM HST

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STADIO, a leading private higher education institution in southern Africa, has offered access to any of their Distance Learning Programmes to the winners of the Exxaro Special jersey at the Absa Cape Epic, the pinnacle event of the Epic Series

Stadio institute photo against the sunset

STADIO, a leading private higher education institution in southern Africa, has offered access to any of their Distance Learning Programmes to the winners of the Exxaro Special jersey at the Absa Cape Epic, the pinnacle event of the Epic Series.

The Exxaro Special Jersey race at the Absa Cape Epic is reserved for riders under the age of 26 who hail from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. In recent years, the number of teams participating has mushroomed – a hugely positive fact for mountain biking in South Africa. 

The objectives of the Exxaro Special Jersey race are:

  • To increase the number of historically disadvantaged South African riders participating in mountain biking.
  • To increase the number of historically disadvantaged South African riders participating in and finishing events like the Absa Cape Epic, thereby establishing them as role models for future generations.
  • Associate Exxaro with empowerment, leadership, support and transformation of mountain biking in South Africa.
  • Create meaningful change in previously disadvantaged communities by promoting sport.
  • Inspiring children and young adults to build a positive future for themselves, thereby creating an environment to fulfil their dreams and uplift their lives and their communities.

STADIO Holdings is an investment holding company that focuses on the investment in, growth and development of higher education institutions to assist in meeting the demand for quality and relevant higher education programmes in South Africa.

STADIO believes wholeheartedly in the future of South Africa and making a difference by offering greater access to higher education, so that every South African has the opportunity to become the most empowered version of themselves. Due to this belief, STADIO identifies very closely with the objectives of the Exxaro Special Jersey Race at the Absa Cape Epic and has offered the winners of the jersey at the Absa Cape Epic a life-changing prize: access to one of more than 20 Distance Learning qualifications, from higher certificates and diplomas to degrees and postgraduate qualifications.

With Curro already offering the winners of the Exxaro Special Jersey Race a life-changing prize in the form of a bursary for two learners to a Curro School, covering their education fees from Grade 1 to Grade 12, STADIO’s prize places a greater emphasis on the value of tertiary education as the winners of the prize will be able to make use of it themselves.

Johan Human, STADIO COO explained, “STADIO is delighted to be associated with the Absa Cape Epic. We exist to empower our nation by widening access to higher education. We are now also contributing to widening access to sporting opportunities and mountain biking in particular.”  

Thanks to a generous offer by Exxaro, STADIO has been able to include a women’s team in the 2021 Absa Cape Epic. The team will tackle the Untamed African MTB Race for the first time and will be treated to support, including post-stage massages, bike servicing and access to the Absa tent courtesy of the event’s Title Sponsor, Absa.

Mxolisi Mgojo, Exxaro CEO added, “We strive to power better lives in Africa and beyond. With the addition of STADIO’s generous contribution to the existing Curro prize, we are making the prestigious Exxaro jersey even more hotly contested. We are thrilled to ensure that four previously disadvantaged riders will win the life-changing opportunity of education, and through this partnership, it is yet another small way in which we can contribute to power a better future for our youth.”

Be sure to tune in to the Live Broadcast of the 2021 Absa Cape Epic, from 17-24 October to follow the Untamed Action and to see how the Exxaro Special Jersey race unfolds on the trails of the Western Cape!