BY NELIWE NGUBANE
LUBOMBO-The National Arts and Culture Awards (NACA) says the Lubombo Regional Awards are fulfilling their purpose of discovering, nurturing and promoting emerging artists, with this year’s competition revealing a new wave of creative talent ready for the national stage.
Held to identify the region’s top creatives, the awards recognised excellence across 29 categories, showcasing artists, cultural groups and creatives whose work continues to strengthen Eswatini’s arts and culture sector.
Speaking after the awards, National Arts and Culture Awards Chairperson Thamsanqa “KrTc” Sibandze said the regional competition demonstrated that the country’s creative industry is growing in both quality and professionalism.
“The Lubombo Regional Awards demonstrated something very encouraging. We are witnessing a shift not only in artistic talent, but in how artists position and present themselves. There is a growing confidence among creatives to embrace both their cultural identity and contemporary artistic expression, resulting in work that feels authentic, relevant and competitive,” said Sibandze.
He said the regional awards have become an important platform for identifying artists who may not yet have national recognition but possess exceptional talent deserving of greater exposure.
“Not every exceptional artist has already built a nationally recognised brand. Many are producing remarkable work within their communities but simply have not had the visibility or platform to be discovered. The regional awards are designed to change that. They level the playing field by allowing artists to first earn recognition within their own regions before competing nationally.”
Sibandze added that the Lubombo competition set a high standard for the remaining regions.
“Lubombo is not playing around. They have thrown down the gauntlet for the other regions. The level of talent, preparation and artistic maturity suggests that the national competition is going to be exceptionally exciting.”
The chairperson also explained why several categories produced joint winners, saying the adjudication panel reached the decision after finalists scored almost equally across all judging criteria.
“Each participant was assessed using three key performance indicators, and in several categories the finalists scored so closely that separating them would have been neither fair nor reflective of their overall performance. This tells us that the overall standard of artistic excellence is rising.”
To ensure transparency and credibility, winners were selected using a balanced scoring system comprising 50 percent public votes, 20 percent submitted body of work and 30 percent live performance, rewarding artists for their creativity, consistency and audience engagement.
This year’s Lubombo Regional Awards winners were GeeZ Visuals (Best Videographer), One Shot (Best Photographer), Miss Siphofaneni Beauty Pageant (Best Festival or Event), Mr Sey (Best Arts Promoter), Mr & Miss Sithobela Crowning (Best Community Arts Initiative), Sithobela Youth Society (Best Arts Organisation), Macetjeni Lutsango (Best Lutsango), Havilah House Eswatini (Best Creative Brand), As 4 Jerry P and Mcebo Nkambule (Best Regional Male), Cebile Mkhwananzi (Best Regional Female), Big Bend We Praise (Best Regional Gospel Artist/Group), Africa & Lindo (Best Regional Traditional Gospel), Ghetto Villah and Criss Tino (Best Regional Hip Hop Artist), Prince B Soas (Best Regional Producer), Ghetto Villah (Best Album/EP), As 4 Jerry P and Vee Gee (Best Upcoming Artist), Emagodsoulz (Best Indigenous Artist), Fats (Best Regional DJ), Immortal 7 (Best Regional Song), Tricky X (Best Regional Music Video), Ndzevane Dance Group (Best Theatre Production), Young Stars (Best Dancer), Mr Sey (Best Choreographer), Ichawelesizwe (Best Poet), Maloyi High School (Best School Drama), Global Revival Primary School (Best School Ingadla and Best Ummiso Group), Mcebo Nkambule (Best Crafts Artist) and Lelo Mazibuko (Best Fine Artist).
Sibandze said the awards are achieving exactly what they were established to do by creating opportunities for artists to grow.
“These awards are not simply about rewarding excellence; they are about discovering it, nurturing it and creating pathways for artists to grow into nationally recognised creative professionals. The Lubombo Regional Awards have reaffirmed that Eswatini’s creative sector is rich with talent, innovation and cultural pride. More importantly, these awards are proving that when we intentionally create platforms for artists to be seen, they rise to the occasion.”
With Lubombo having raised the bar, attention now shifts to the remaining regional competitions as artists from across Eswatini compete for a place in the National Arts and Culture Awards finals.
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