NO NATIONAL FINALS FOR OLD MUTUAL NCF 2018!

MBABANE – It is inevitable that progress comes with drastic change!

Old Mutual, in partnership with their associate Premier National Choir Festival, has revealed that there will be no final choral competitions for this year’s Old Mutual National Choir Festival.

This was stated by a letter from Old Mutual which is in the possession of this publication.
This comes with their new strategic objective of being contemporary and relevant to changing trends. This decision has led Eswatini choirs to compete in South Africa and they were given an option by this year’s competition directors  to either register under Gauteng or KwaZulu Natal regions.
The option of registration is at the hands of each choir.

Another country which has been affected by this decision is Zimbabwe, whose choirs have been instructed to compete in Gauteng.
Another reason that has propelled Eswatini choirs to compete in South Africa is because five regions have been cut from 10 regional events because of the restructuring.

The surviving regions are Western Cape, Easter Cape, Free State, KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng.
Gauteng has incorporated North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

The first event for the regional competitions will be in September in the Eastern Cape region.
Eswatini choirs will compete on October 21 in KwaZulu Natal for those who registered under that region and October 27 and 28 in Gauteng for those who registered there.

Eswatini National Choral Music Association Chairman Sihle Gumbi confirmed that Eswatini would now compete in South Africa as competing regions would be cut into half and that there were no national competitions in this year’s Old Mutual NCF.

“We advised choirs to register under KwaZulu Natal region as the only region that it has accommodated after the liquidation of other regions is Eswatini.
There will be fewer choirs there, presenting less competition and convenience,” said Gumbi.

He also explicitly explained that all choirs from Eswatini were eligible to register in South Africa as there were no finals but just the eliminations. Gumbi also stated that so far, the only choir that opted to compete in Gauteng was Mbabane Methodist Church Choir (MMCC).
“Manzini Choir, Sweet Sounds, His Majesty’s Correctional Services Choir and other choirs registered under the KwaZulu Natal region,” said Gumbi.

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