In a triumphant win from Team Ntencane, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) come out on top as the winners of Mzansi Magic’s fourth season of Clash of the Choirs against Vusi Nova’s Western Cape group.
This follows a winning streak from the choir and their choirmaster musician Ntencane. Team KZN enjoyed a hat-trick of wins before taking home the grand prize of R1 million.
A charity chosen by the winning choir will also be gifted a R250 000 donation. Team KZN chose the Ntenga Foundation, whose focus is on youth, water, sanitation and entrepreneurship.
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Unlike in the early stages of the competition, the ultimate Clash of the Choirs winner was decided by viewer votes. Choirmaster and team leader Ntencane tells TRUELOVE about the most rewarding part of seeing his team win.
Translated from isiZulu, Ntencane shares, “To see them win after the journey they went through is the part that makes me most happy because other people lost jobs while we did this and others were not working while we did this. Seeing their efforts helping them reach the end was a big thing.”
The live finale, hosted by Bontle Modiselle and DJ Sabby, began with a medley where both the KZN and Western Cape choirs perform their own tracks.
Revealing the process of choosing the song list for team KZN’s final, Ntencane says, “In the first song in Zulu is a song that shows that there once was a heaven here. It was also done by some who handles maskandi and knows the culture and traditions.
“The second performance was an attempt to thank the Lord for being with us on this journey and coming with us right up until this point.”
Team Ntencane had a season that saw them breathe new creativity and life into various genres, from hip-hop, mbaqanga and gospel, to R&B, pop and kwaito. For their final performance, they paid tribute to the Zulu kingdom, later closing with an uplifting gospel medley.
Ntencane’s stint as choirmaster and subsequently winning the season with his team he hopes will give the winners an opportunity for doors to open.
“Winning this season means also to my choir members. As I said, a lot of them come from hard backgrounds so winning means that anything we start now or any doors we want to walk through will be easy. I don’t want them to go back and struggle like they had before and so this win will make it easy for them to get opportunities,” he explains.
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In a statement, Shirley Adonisi, Director of Local Entertainment Channels at M-Net says, “We would like to congratulate Team Ntencane and KwaZulu-Natal on this win. They – along with every choir and choirmaster who took part in this season – reminded us of the impressive creativity our artists possess. It was a pleasure to watch them perform incredible renditions of local songs every week.
“It’s been an exciting season of Clash of the Choirs, one that allowed us to show the depth and breadth of raw, true talent we have throughout the country, ready to shine onstage given the opportunity. We hope some new musical careers are able to bloom going forward.”
Eager to return to the show, Ntencane shares, “Yes, I would come back and be a choirmaster because I think the experience was enjoyable and I wish I could do it again and be in that situation again.
“Right now, my mind is still focused on the choir so any projects I have in mind are for the choir to release something. So that would be great and when it happens, I will be sure to let you know.”
