They say all great things come in 3’s.

I think this is the case for the latest Idols South Africa win which saw yet another youngster in 17 year old Yanga Sobetwa from Delft in Cape Town win the coveted title. She was up against a well-deserving 24 year old Thato Makape from Postmasburg in the Northern Cape.

It’s a special win for myself, which I will detail shortly in this piece.

Yet another thrilling season of the popular reality show took the country by storm with a record-breaking number of votes cast (about 147 million votes reported for the finale alone) and the best showcase in singing talent that Mzansi has to offer. I know although many will miss the show until next year (season 15), others are simply happy for the show’s break as it signifies the return of the pupular dating show ‘Date My Family’.

Week in and out, Yanga thrilled and captivated viewers with her powerful vocals and interpretation to songs such as ‘Impilo’ by Sjava, ‘Try sleeping with a broken heart’ by Alicia Keys and the memorable ‘Not yet Uhuru’ by Letta Mbuli, which she performed during the popular showstopper theme episode. Her debut single, ‘Scars (all over me)’ released on the show, is currently in the top 5 spot of the most downloaded singles on iTunes in the country.

The runner-up, Thato also had an illustrious run on the competition as many referred to him as an underdog who kept on growing, impressing, finding his strength and capitalizing on it as the Top 10 live shows proceeded. The 24 year old barber captured many with his story of hope and perseverance. He traveled 1250 km over many days, using public transport to get from Postmasburg to Cape Town for his audition. He captured my attention through his showstopper performance of the dance hit ‘Mamelani’ by Naakmusiq, ‘You got it bad’ by Usher and ‘Inkomo’ by The Soil.

The two were deserving candidates for the season 14 finale each with their unique style and strengths.

Back to why Yanga’s victory is so personal. I have followed the reality program for years now, in fact from season 1, which saw Heiz Winkler crowned as the very first South African idol back in 2002. I have seen the show evolve from its initial stages to the current reflection of the diverse South Africa we live in. The stage has gotten bigger, production and sound quality have improved considerably, so has the prize package, its prestige, voting platforms, numbers and viewership figures.

Remember how I began the article with the ‘it’s third time lucky approach?’ Well, looking back, I can count three instances and in fact, seasons of the show where I have followed and supported a contestant who’s made it to Top 10 and managed to make it all the way to the finale.

1. Season 2: Poseletso Sejosengoe from Cape Town, who became a runner-up to Anke Pietranjeli in 2003.

2. Season 10: Bongi Silinda from eMalahleni, who became a runner-up to Vincent Bones in 2014.

3. Season 14. The current season and the luck aspect saw the contestant I was firmly supporting, clinch the victory this time around.

So Yanga’s win is a personal victory and the feeling is beyond any adjective that I can think of.

Another historic reflection…

Yanga’s win marks the second time in the history of the competition that three females win the competition consecutively after the spell was broken after the year 2009 where in season 5, two winners Jason Hartman and Sasha-Lee Davis were announced – talk about a personal wish and aspiration fulfilled again.

At 17 years, her win also made her the third youngest female to win the competition after season 4’s Jody Williams and season 13’s Paxton Fellies.

I wish both Yanga and Thato the very best with their future endevours and I am hopeful that they will succeed and take the industry by storm. I am also urging that the public rally behind them after the show as they did during it as they establish themselves in the professional music industry space by purchasing their albums, singles and attending their concert shows.

May their stars never cease to sparkle in their quest to take their music careers to greater heights.

Images used in article taken from the official Idols South Africa twitter page.