Central SA
Last ever SA Idols winner to be crowned in 2023─── TSHEHLA KOTELI 13:47 Mon, 06 Feb 2023
It is the end of an era for Idols South Africa as the judges will be crowning the last winner this year. The show will not be renewed after its 19th season.
Idols SA began in March 2002. The judges were Dave Thompson, Marcus Brewster, Penny Lebyane, and Randall Abrahams. The news was received with mixed reactions on social media. Some felt the 21-year-old music competition was becoming boring. Others were left distorted as they still had hopes of being an Idols winner.
It has been alleged that, throughout the years, Idols SA has lost ratings as less people watched each year. Idols SA will close its curtains with Somizi Mhlongo, JR Bogopa, and Thembi Seete as the judges. ProVerb will once again, for the last time, host the show.
The first Idols SA winner (season 1) was Heinz Winckler, followed by Anke Pietrangeli (season 2), Karin Kortje (season 3), Jody Williams (Season 4), the joint winners (season 5) Jason Hartman and Sasha-Lee Davids, Elvis Blue (season 6), Dave van Vuuren (season 7), Khaya Mthethwa (season 8), Musa Sukwene (season 9), Vincent Bones (season 10), Karabo Mogane (season 11), Noma Khumalo (season 12), Paxton Fielies (season 13), Yanga Sobetwa (season 14), Luyolo Yiba (season 15), Zama Khumalo (season 16), and Berry Trytsman (season 17).
The 18th season's Idols winner in 2022 was warrant officer Thapelo Molomo from North West.
Who will be the last-ever winner of Idols SA? Online auditions will open on 12 February 2023.
ALSO READ: Idols SA: Warrant officer also winning hearts of South Africans
Molomo is a psychologist at the South African Police Services' (SAPS) Employee Health and he previously told OFM News “it was important to me to have a plan prior to entering, why am I here? What am I going to achieve with this opportunity I have been given on Idols, as far as my music career is concerned? So, it was about the readiness for me”.
The prizes Molomo walked away with included one million rands in cash, made up of R350,000 in a Standard Bank MyMo account, R300,000 from Spotify, and R350,000 from Mzansi Magic, access to a Standard Bank wealth manager, a Toyota Starlet, a fashion voucher from Truworths, his live show outfits to the value of R100,000, R85,000 worth of musical equipment from Yamaha, and a recording contract with Kalawa Jazmee Records.
Molomo said that he started singing at a very young age and started singing professionally in 2012. It was his parents who noticed his talent.
