By Lebone Rodah Mosima
KwaZulu-Natal led the 2026 ABC Motsepe South African Schools Choral Eisteddfod after the first two days of national competition, with 11 trophies as choirs from across the country headed into the final stretch of the four-day championships.
The championships run from June 30 to July 3 at Moreleta Kerk in Pretoria. They are delivered by the departments of Basic Education and Sport, Arts and Culture, in partnership with the Motsepe Foundation, and bring together top-performing school choirs from all nine provinces after district and provincial rounds.
The KZN Department of Education said the province was leading after Day Two with 11 trophies, making it the early frontrunner in the national standings.
In the secondary schools section, the Eastern Cape’s Nolitha won the Special Schools SID Own Song Choice category, followed by North West’s Temogo and Gauteng’s Adelaide Tambo.
KZN’s Newtown won the Special Schools MID, PD, Deaf and Blind category for Ngothando, ahead of North West’s Christiana and Limpopo’s Setotolwane.
KZN also scored strongly in the choir categories, with Aquadene taking first place in Mixed Choirs Western, ahead of Limpopo’s Klaas Mothapo and Gauteng’s Curtis Nkondo.
Klaas Mothapo then won the Mixed Choirs African category for Thuto by P Mamabolo, with Mpumalanga’s D.M. Motsaosele Secondary School second and Aquadene third.
The Mpumalanga Department of Education congratulated D.M. Motsaosele on Thursday, saying the choir had delivered “a performance that resonated with grace, passion and musical excellence”.
“This remarkable achievement is a testament to the visionary leadership and musical excellence of Mr G. Zunguza, whose dedication, discipline and inspiring direction guided the choir to this national milestone,” the department said.
Mpumalanga’s Shongwe won the Mixed Double Quartet for Farm and Small Schools with Silent Worship by GF Handel. KwaZulu-Natal’s Einsiedeln placed second, while Gauteng’s Kudung finished third.
In the primary section, the Eastern Cape’s Lingomsolethu Primary School won the Special Schools SID Own Choice category, followed by KZN’s Thuthukani Primary School and Free State’s Leboneng Primary School.
Mandela Park Primary School from the Eastern Cape also stood out after securing first place in both the Boys’ Choir and Mixed Choirs African categories.
KZN’s Grantham Park Primary School picked up the Best Conductor award, with Ms ZZ Luhlolongwane named as conductor.
The final results are expected after the closing day of competition on Friday.
INSIDE EDUCATION
