The race between Yanga and Thato came to a dazzling conclusion last night when 17-year-old Yanga snatched victory to become South Africa’s next superstar.
“I can’t put into words how I feel right now, but I can say it in song,” said a shell-shocked Yanga a few seconds after her name was called, before bursting into a gratitude chorus.
Her runner-up, Thato, gave her a warm congratulatory hug and thanked Mzansi for the immense support. And what support South Africa has shown, with a season record of 142 million votes, surpassing the targeted 100 million that Proverb had set in the beginning of the season.
Yanga had been a fan favourite since she got into the Top 16 and we are excited she won. It was actually Idols Judge and current GLAMOUR cover star Unathi Nkayi, who fought for Yanga's place in Top 16.
After gruelling months of sweat, blood and tears, tonight was a two-hour celebration of a great season that saw some of the youngest contestants on the Idols stage in a while.
The show pulled out all the stops to bring Mzansi Magic viewers and the full house at Carnival City’s Big Top Arena a music spectacular. There were pyrotechnics, motorbikes, a jungle feel, protests, a riot of colour and a glimpse of an Africa reimagined.
Director and Executive Producer, [sic] Entertainment Gavin Wratten, said: “Idols SA season 14 has beaten all our expectations; surpassing a 100 million votes is a landmark achievement for reality TV in this country.”
This has certainly been one of the freshest, youngest and best finales in SA Idols history.
