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Idols South Africa is a Mzansi Magic reality talent show that seeks to find the best singer in the country. It is based on the British reality TV show Pop Idols and originally aired on MNET in 2002. Since then, the show has given South Africans aged between 16 and 30 the opportunity to showcase their singing talents and win record deals. Read on to find out what the Idols SA winners have been upto since taking the crown.

Idols South Africa has had 18 seasons and 19 winners since its debut in 2002. All winners received cash prizes, recording deals, music equipment, and other prizes to kick off their music careers. Some are still rocking the Mzansi airwaves but several vanished after winning.

Idols South Africa winners

The talent search competition series is one of the most-loved reality shows in Mzansi. Here is a list of all the winners from season 1 to season 18.

Heinz Winckler: Season 1 (2002)

Heinz Carl Winckler, born on 22nd March 1978 in Stellenbosch, was the winner of the first season of Idols South Africa. He was a law student at Stellenbosch University but dropped out after winning to pursue music. His debut single, Once In A Lifetime, went double platinum and sold over 100,000 copies in Mzansi. Later in 2003, he participated in the World Idol competition and came fourth. He has since released eight albums.

Heinz is also a great actor and performed in the musical Rent from 2007 to 2008. In 2016, he starred in The Roar film as a lead actor and released his first Christian contemporary worship album. The father of four is currently focused on doing church ministries.

Anke Pietrangeli: Season 2 (2003)

Anke Pietrangeli, also known as Kimberley Diamond, won the show when she was just 20 years old. Her brother, Sven, persuaded her to enter the talent search competition after seeing her great talent. Since her 2003 win, she has released four albums, including Idols, By Heart, Limbo, and Tribute to the Great Female Vocalists. Anke still sings on stage and is currently a member of the band Late Final.

Karin Kortje: Season 3 (2005)

Karin Kortje was born on 12th August 1980 in Cape Town, South Africa. The former apple picker was the first black singer to take the Idols SA crown. Soon after the win, the singer released a three-song mini album featuring the songs I'm So Ready and Joy to the World. In 2006, she won the You Spectacular Awards for News Maker of the Year and graced several magazine covers, including You, Huisgenoot, and Sarie.

Karin's singing career suffered a huge blow when her boyfriend was found guilty of a 2006 murder in Durbanville. In 2011, she starred in This Is My Life, a musical about her life story. The singer continues to pursue her music career.

Jody Williams: Season 4 (2007)

Jody Williams was born on 17th May 1990 in Cape Town and won the fourth season of Idols SA when she was only 17. After her win, she collaborated with several global artists, including Celine Dion, Tabitha Nausern, Sean Kingston, Steve Appleton, and Jessica Mauboy. In 2019, the Afrikaans singer admitted that winning the talent search show ruined her life and caused a rift in her family. She quit singing to become a receptionist, and it is unclear if she will take the stage again.

Sasha-Lee Davids: Season 5 (2009)

Sasha-Lee was born in Atlantis, Western Cape, South Africa. She co-won the Idols SA season five crown with Jason Hartman after an error occurred in the voting system. Sasha also won in season 2 of the reality show Matrix in 2008. She released her debut album, Sasha-Lee, in 2009 and several singles, including Africa Arise ft All 4 One. In January 2021, she released the song, A little Love.

Jason Hartman: Season 5 (2009)

Jason Hartman was born on 21st November 1979 in Midlands, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He was the joint winner of Idols SA season five alongside Sasha-Lee. He was announced the runner's up and was later declared the official winner, but the show's officials decided to make him and Sasha-Lee winners. After the win, he released several radio hits, including Break the Silence, Chasing Stars, and On the Run. His post-Idols career has been successful, and he mainly sings pop, pop-rock, and rock.

Elvis Blue: Season 6 (2010)

Jan Adriaan Hoogendyk, popularly known as Elvis Blue, got 64% of the votes to win the 2010 season. The singer had released four albums before entering the singing competition. He later released three albums, including Elvis Blue, Journey, and Afrikaans.

Elvis is the recipient of various musical awards, including Best Contemporary Album by Male Artist, Male Artist of the Year, Music Video of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year. He has also been involved in a number of community upliftment projects in the Western Cape and provides musical training for children who can not afford musical instruments.

Dave Van Vuuren: Season 7 (2011)

Dave Vuuren was born in 1990 in Westville, Durban, South Africa. He is currently a member of the Southern Wild rock band, which is signed to Bellville Records.

Khaya Mthethwa: Season 8 (2012)

Khaya Mthethwa is an award-winning singer and radio personality born on 25th November 1987 to religious parents. He won Idols SA season 8 in 2012 and has since released four albums, including For You, The Uprising, The Dawn, and All About Jesus.

The singer is a choir member of the South African gospel group, Joyous Celebration. In early 2022, he joined Kaya 959 as a host for the Noted show, which airs on Saturdays from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.

Musa Sukwene: Season 9 (2013)

Musa Sukwene was born on 19th December 1986 in Witbank, Mpumalnga, South Africa. Since winning the singing competition, Musa has released three albums, including Dream, Mr Serious, Musa, and Backroom. His album Mr Serious (2016) is triple platinum certified with over 90,000 sold copies, while his hit song, Mthande, has more than 7 million YouTube views. He is currently signed to About Entertainment records.

Vincent Bones: Season 10 (2014)

Vincent Bones' story is perhaps the most inspiring of all the Idols SA winners. He is originally from Eldorado Park but started begging on the streets of Pretoria after the death of his mother and uncle. He released his first album, Shaded Souls, in 2015 to critical acclaim. He has since had collaborations with many prominent South African artists. Vincent has been keeping a low profile in recent years.

Karabo Mogane: Season 11 (2015)

Karabo Mogane was born on 14th August 1991 in Nelspruit, South Africa. The 31-year-old won the 11th season of Idols SA with a total of over 74 million votes throughout the season. He has since released six albums. In 2016, he remade the celebratory wedding song uMakoti. Karabo tied the knot to his longer girlfriend, Sinesipho Mbandazayo, in October 2021.

Noma Khumalo: Season 12 (2016)

Noma Khumalo won the 12th season of the talent search, but her post-win career has not been successful as anticipated. In 2019, she parted ways with her record label, Gallo Records, and there were speculations that she had fallen into depression. After winning, she released her debut album, Joy, but it failed to perform. She later released the single Moving On and has since been performing stage performances across South Africa and neighbouring countries.

Paxton Fielies: Season 13 (2017)

Paxton Fielies was born on 17th September 2000 in Bishop Lavis, Cape Town, South Africa. In 2017, she became the youngest female competitor to win Idols SA. Before her big win, Paxton was singing music covers. She released her first album, This Is Me, under the record label Gallo record company in 2018. She has several singles and has also appeared on the cover of Club X Magazine. Paxton continues to sing and do philanthropy work.

Yanga Sobetwa: Season 14 (2018)

Yanga Sobetwa is admired by many for her musical and vocal prowess. She won the Idols talent search competition at only 17 and released her 10-track debut album in 2019. She was nominated for the South African Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album for her debut album. Yanga's single debut, Scars (All Over Me), topped South African charts soon after its release. The Cape Town native sings gospel and soul music.

Luyolo Yiba: Season 15 (2019)

Before winning the talent search show in 2019, Luyolo Yiba worked as a software engineer. He was a fan favourite throughout the 15th season of Idols South Africa. After his win, he got a recording deal from Gallo Records and later released his debut album, Ithemba, in November 2020. He has also released several singles, including Sondela and My Love For You.

Zama Khumalo: Season 16 (2020)

Zama Khumalo was born on 25th August 2002 in Witbank, Emalahleni, South Africa. She released her debut album, In The Beginning, in November 2021 after signing a record deal with Kawala Jazmee record label. In May 2022, she featured on Musa's track, Xolele.

Berry Trytsman: Season 17 (2021)

Berry Trytsman is a Cape Town native and had been singing for over 22 years before being crowned season 17 Idols SA winner. After her win, she signed with the record label Kawala Jazmee, and her debut album is in production. Berry is happily married to drummer Reiner Trystmasn and is a mother of four.

Thapelo Molomo: Season 18 (2022)

Thapelo Molomo was born on 18th January 1993 in Dipetsaneng village near Mokopane in Limpopo, South Africa. He is a registered psychologist working with the South African Police Service. He won the 18th season of Idols South Africa and got a record deal with Kalawa Jazmee Records. He released his debut single, Phanda, in November 2022. After his win, Thapelo Molomo promised to release more music but will continue to work as a SAPS psychologist.

Who is the most successful Idol winner?

American country singer Carrie Underwood is regarded as the most successful artist ever to win the singing competition. She won the fourth season of the USA version in 2005 and has sold over 70 million records. She has released six studio albums and won 8 Grammy awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, 17 American Music Awards, and five Guinness World records.

Who won Idols SA season 15?

Singer Luyolo Yiba was the winner of the 15th season of the talent search show. He took home R350,000 prize money from Telkom, another R350,000 from Mzansi Magic, an additional R300,000 cash in an Old Mutual Money account, 20GB of data from Telkom, a Huawei WiFi router, a new Ford Fiesta, a recording deal with Gallo Records, and musical equipment worth R80,000 from Yamaha.

Who will win the Idols in 2022?

Who won Idols this year? SAPS psychologist Thapelo Molomo was crowned the 2022 winner. The Limpopo native won a total of R1 million Idols SA prize money from Standard Bank, Mzansi Magic, and Spotify, a Toyota Starlet car, Yamaha musical equipment, and a recording deal from Kalawa Jazmee Records.

All the Idols South Africa winners have built a great platform to showcase their talent and wowed the audience with amazing performances. Although some vanished from the limelight after winning, most have built successful musical careers.

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