IDOLS FACE-OFF
Cape teen faces KZN singer who moved Zuma wife to tears
KZN and Cape go to war in final showdown
Provincial bragging rights are up for grabs tonight as KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape go head-to-head in the final of Idols.
Whether Durbanite Mthokozisi Ndaba, 25, or Capetonian Paxton Fielies triumphs in the final of the 13th season of the reality show at Carnival City, Johannesburg, their province will celebrate with them.
The Western Cape boasts five Idols crowns while KwaZulu-Natal has four. Tonight’s winner will either see both regions on par or the Western Cape further up the ladder.
Ndaba’s confidence comes from knowing that he’s even brought one of President Jacob Zuma’s wives to tears with his performances — and he’ll be hoping her backing will help him win.
Tobeka Madiba-Zuma wishes both contestants well, but said she and her daughters had wept when they saw Ndaba perform.
“I was touched by his story of losing 11 family members,” said KaMadiba. “I first learnt of this when one of the judges, Unathi [Msengana], asked him what the family would say about his deviation from singing gospel to pop music. His response was: ‘I do not have family.’ ”
KaMadiba said that when Ndaba dedicated a song to his late family members, including his seven-month-old son, she was moved beyond words. “This for me resonated with the charity work I do and what I come across every day. Watching him perform Gerald Levert’s Made to Love You was as though it was his last performance on this earth and made us believe every lyric. I sat there and wept with my daughters.”
Ndaba, of KwaMashu, said he never thought he would get this far. He was orphaned at the age of 14. He failed matric in 2009, but decided to return to school in 2012 after failing to secure a job and passed his exams.
He suffered a setback in February, shortly after receiving the golden ticket to the next round of the competition, when he was robbed and shot in his legs at his home.
“I didn’t tell the producers and tried to hide it. But it was obvious as I was limping. I had to tell the truth. I have been able to put a part of the shooting in the past, while still dealing with a part of it.”
He said that if he won he planned to open a studio for aspiring musicians.
The youngest Idols performer this year, Paxton, 17, has been a firm audience favourite ever since she sang her way to a golden ticket during auditions with a rendition of Tori Kelly’s Confetti.
Paxton, who has put school on hold for the competition, said being in the finals was amazing and surreal.
“Having my mom, Crystal, support me and my dream has been amazing. The competition has had a positive change. I have grown as an artist and person. I have done a lot of things that I didn’t think were possible. When I entered, I told myself this would be a risk-taker year. It was my first time entering and to make top two is amazing, especially this young. I am grateful and happy and feel loved and appreciated that people voted for me to be in the top two.”
She said that even if she didn’t win the competition, she already felt like a winner.
“I got to release my first single with my own song. Today I stand a 50% chance of winning. This is not the end. It is the stepping stone to the world. Believe in your dreams and work hard, anything’s possible. There is no limit to what you can do,” said Fielies, who started singing at the age of seven in the children’s choir at church.
The Grade 11 pupil was unable to attend the last two terms of school, but said she would definitely complete her studies.
KaMadiba advised the finalists: “Stay humble and grounded, do not let fame change the person in you. No doubt you have been such an inspiration to many young people that whatever the circumstances, you can still follow your dream and live it.”
The Idols final will be on M-Net at 5pm.