HIS Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS) Choir retained the Ntjilo-Ntjilo Choral Competition crown on Sunday at UNESWA Sports Emporium, taking home E70 000.
The venue was filled with competing choirs as ensembles battled across the Standard and Large categories, with the Mbabane Chamber Orchestra providing orchestral backing for the Western pieces.
The competition started at 10am, with choirs presenting arrangements that tested their vocal range, precision and stage presence.
HMCS choir conducted by Melisizwe Sibusiso Zwane, followed up on last year’s victory with another overall win. The choir also set a competition record after scoring 188 points. “Our victory is a sign of hard work and determination,” the choir said, while remaining humble and looking forward to more titles. Pure Voices finished second overall and received E60 000. In the Large Category Western Piece, HMCS won E40 000, followed by Royal Eswatini Police Service Choir with E30 000 and Pure Voices with E20 000.
The Large Category African Rendition saw Pure Voices take first place and E40 000, followed by HMCS with E30 000 and Lugubhu Lwengwenyama with E20 000.
In the Mixed Choirs Western and African pieces, Emmanuel Methodist Choir won E15 000 in each category, while Gebeni Choristers earned E12 000 and Eswatini Mighty Voices received E10 000 for third place.
Entokozweni Christian Church won the Zion category with E5 000, followed by Philip Christian Church in Zion and Harmonious Praise, who each received E1 500.
Founder and Director of the Competition Mathokoza Sibiya attributed the increased prize money to support from sponsors including EswatiniMed, Almona, Montigny, Destiny Events, Tibiyo Insurance Brokers, Eclipse Catering and Mozambique Restaurant.
“The dramatic financial boost has fundamentally transformed the psychological landscape,” Sibiya said, describing a sharper competitive spirit among participating choirs.
The festival offered E260 000 in total prize money. Sibiya said previous Large Category prizes of E35 000, E25 000 and E20 000 had been increased for this year’s competition.
The competition brought together established and emerging choirs, with participants performing before judges and a lively audience as they showcased their vocal control, arrangements and stage presence.
Pure Voices savour African Rendition victory
PURE Voices won the African Rendition title at the Ntjilo-Ntjilo Arts Festival on Sunday, earning E40 000.
His Majesty’s Correctional Services Choir (HMCS) finished second, while Lugubhu Lwengwenyama got third place.
Conducted by Gabazi Nxumalo, Pure Voices also finished third in the Western Rendition, collecting E20 000 to take its total prize money to E60 000.
A standout performance came through Tinkhabi Tiyaphephekelwa, a locally composed piece by Mathokoza Sibiya, which earned the choir a 95% score.
The choir displayed controlled vocals, clear timing and strong teamwork throughout the competition, with balanced harmonies, clean pronunciation and confident interpretation.
Nxumalo welcomed the achievement, praising the choristers for maintaining their focus despite limited preparation time.
The choir had been working to recruit 20 choristers to fill gaps in its ranks before the competition, making the result particularly significant for the conductor and his team.
“We are proud of the choristers and quality of their music,” Nxumalo said, noting that their dedication remained throughout the competition.
He said the result showed that commitment could produce results even when a choir faced pressure and limited preparation time.
“We were looking for 20 choristers, so making it this time shows that we made the preparation count,” Nxumalo said.
The conductor now hopes the achievement would attract continued departmental support as Pure Voices prepares for another assignment.
The choir is expected to represent the country at the Tiro Mpane Foundation National Choral Eisteddfod in South Africa.
The festival also featured smaller ensemble categories, including duet, quartet and sextet, giving choristers opportunities to showcase their individual voices and versatility.
For Pure Voices, the result extends beyond the prize money, with Nxumalo saying the achievement reflected the value of discipline, teamwork and cultural identity.
The choir would now carry the confidence from its festival performance into its next stage of preparation.
