Thabo Ndlovu wins Season 19 of Idols SA

The announcement, made at the weekend, came as a huge surprise to the 26 year old contestant from Emalahleni who fell to his knees in disbelief as tears of joy flowed freely. Princess MacDonald from Mpumalanga came second.

Ndlovu thanked the crowd and those watching at home for their support before delivering an exhilarating performance of his song ‘iSlungu’. “I’m so humbled. I’m so grateful for each and every one of you,” Ndlovu said.

The win will see Ndlovu take home an array of prizes, including R1m (about $5 400) in cash from Mzansi Magic, a brand new Toyota Vitz, a technology bundle from Huawei worth R65 000, R10 000 musical equipment from Yamaha, a wardrobe valued at R100 000 courtesy of Truworths and a record deal from judge JR’s Feel Good Music. The runner-up takes home all her live show outfits and a fashion voucher valued at R50 000, also from Truworths.

The show kicked off on 8 July where hopeful singers auditioned for the competition judged by JR Bogopa, Thembi Seete and Somizi Mhlongo.

As is the tradition, the top 10 came together to give a closing performance that featured judge Mhlongo. The final show also saw performances from musicians Cassper Nyovest, Vusi Nova, Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse and a special collaboration by American singer PJ Morton and the final two contestants.

An especially touching highlight to this finale was when Yvonne Chaka Chaka surprised Princess with a guest appearance after seeing her perform ‘Umqombothi’ earlier on the show.

Season 19 marked the end of Idols SA following an announcement in February that the show was coming to an end on M-Net. 

“This season has shown the resilience and incredible talent that our country has to offer,” M-Net local entertainment channels boss Shirley Adonisi said. “Idols SA has been a platform of empowerment, not just for the contestants but for our viewers as well. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, and we’ve been connected through music.

"As we lower the curtain on this memorable 19-season journey, we are proud to have partnered with SIC Entertainment to provide the stage for dreams to come true. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors for making this show a success.”