This week, South Africans fell in love with Joseph Kagiso Ndlovu after his Comrades marathon proposal went viral. Ndlovu pulled out a sign which read, “Prudence, will you marry me? Run 90k for you” as he finished the marathon – and had the whole country talking.
In an interview on Jacaranda FM’s Breakfast With Martin Bester, Joseph said that his girlfriend had accepted his proposal and that the couple was over the moon.
Inspiration behind Comrades marathon proposal
The Pretoria resident also shared that Sunday, the day of the proposal, was the 10th anniversary of his wife’s death and that he believed it was time for him to move on and propose to his girlfriend, Prudence. The couple was dating for four months before Joseph popped the question.
During the interview, the pair was surprised by the Breakfast with Martin Bester listeners and generous sponsors who pulled together to give the couple a wedding they will never forget.
Throughout the morning, the following items were gifted to the newly engaged couple by generous listeners and companies:
- An engagement ring by Mister K Jewellery Manufacturers
- A dress by Cinderella Corner
- A suit by Herman Van Der Merwe
- Photography by House of Ru Photography
- Wedding invitations by Pulse Printing
- Catering by Greg, a colleague of Joseph’s.
- Flowers by Isabel Nel Wild Flower Art
- Ante-Nuptial Contract by Finlay and Niemayer Attorneys
- A wedding cake by Lovit Bakery
- Nails by Charne Lubbe
- A first dance routine by La Danza Studio
- A sponsored vehicle for the wedding by Contrasol
- Thank you gifts by Hanri
- R5000 cash by Jacaranda FM listener Ben
- A cabin on the Loveboat for their honeymoon
“I think the story about Joe asking Prudence to marry him with his banner got a lot of people’s attention and got a lot of people curious and I was one of those people. I wanted to know who Prudence was and what her response was. So it was great to get them both on the line on the show this morning,” Martin Bester shares.
“Prudence told us she said yes and that they want to get married next year. Joe mentioned to us that if someone could come through with a ring, that would really make his week. I told him I will do my best and that is all I needed to say because our morning listeners, our family, are just incredibly kind and generous.”
Martin adds, “It snowballed from there. It started with a ring and all of a sudden the couple was gifted with a wedding dress, flowers, catering, legal agreements, nails, photography, dancing lessons and, at the end, we threw in a cabin on our Valentine’s Day Loveboat Cruise next year.
“We have such kind and incredibly generous listeners and I think it gives everyone that warm and hopeful feeling and I love that this happened to such a real couple. Every one loves a love story with a happy ending like this and it was so special to be involved in this beautiful story.”
The story is reminiscent of the “KFC proposal” that went viral in November 2019. Hector Mkansi similarly gave South Africans the feels when he proposed to his girlfriend Nonhanhla Soldaat inside a KFC café.
As soon as their proposal video went viral on social media, well-wishers began making offers towards their wedding and honeymoon.
The well-wishers ranged from ordinary South Africans to celebrities and large corporates.