BY GCWALISILE MHLABANE
MBABANE – Eswatini’s thriving choral music industry has received another major vote of confidence after the Ntjilo-Ntjilo Choral Music Competition secured E400 000 in sponsorship for its 2026 edition, setting the stage for what promises to be its biggest and most exciting showcase yet.
The competition, which has become one of the country’s flagship platforms for discovering and nurturing choral talent, is preparing for its 12th edition, following the official launch held on June 26, 2026, at The Gables, Ezulwini, where sponsors handed over sponsorship cheques worth a combined E400 000 in a strong show of support for Eswatini’s growing creative industry. The launch brought together arts stakeholders, choir representatives, corporate partners and music lovers in celebration of the country’s rich choral music tradition.
The sponsorship package comprises E200 000 from EswatiniMed, E150 000 from Al Mona Group and E50 000 from Montigny, bringing the total sponsorship to E400 000. Montigny also pledged to double its sponsorship for next year’s competition, further strengthening the festival’s future.
Speaking during the launch, Ntjilo-Ntjilo Director Mathokoza Sibiya announced that the 12th edition of the competition will be held on September 20, 2026, at the UNESWA Sports Emporium.
“The event will take place on September 20 at the UNESWA Sports Emporium. Corporate tables will be sold first at E15 000, while VIP tickets will cost E450 and general admission tickets E150. Tickets will be available through Moja Ticket,” said Sibiya.
He said this year’s competition will feature seven categories, namely Baritone/Bass Duet, Female Choirs, Mixed Standard Choirs, Mixed Large Choirs, SSSATB Sextet, Male Choirs and SATB Quartet.
The Standard Choir category will feature FTM & JJ Choir, Gebeni Choristers, Eswatini Methodist Choir and Emmanuel Methodist Choir, while the Large Choir category will see Royal Eswatini Police Service Choir, Dolce Harmony Singers, Manzini Choir, Pure Voices, Mbabane Methodist Church Choir, Sweet Sounds and defending champions His Majesty’s Correctional Services Choir competing for top honours.
The competition will be adjudicated by Dr Elmon Shongwe, Sidumo Nyamezele from South Africa and Professor Patrick Tikolo, also from South Africa.
Speaking on behalf of the Eswatini National Choral Music Association, Sihle Gumbi praised Ntjilo-Ntjilo for its continued commitment to promoting local talent.
“I would like to thank Ntjilo-Ntjilo for always pushing beyond limits for the project to continue growing and helping expose talent. We are also grateful to the sponsors for choosing to support this initiative and we hope they will continue sponsoring the programme even next year,” he said.
Gumbi also commended the Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC) for its unwavering partnership.
“We are also grateful to the Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture for the continued support for Ntjilo-Ntjilo. This collaboration goes a long way and we are positive that the development of choral music is indeed in the right hands,” he said.
He encouraged more choirs to enter the competition while urging the public to support the festival by purchasing tickets.
“Let us also normalise buying tickets and avoid getting complimentary tickets. Buying tickets will help sustain the Ntjilo-Ntjilo project,” Gumbi added.
ENCAC Chief Executive Officer Stanley Dlamini said Ntjilo-Ntjilo continues to play a vital role in celebrating talent and attracting investment into the country’s creative sector.
“Events like Ntjilo-Ntjilo help us celebrate talent and celebrate the people who invest in such programmes. To the sponsors, take over the competition. On the day of the show, it would be nice to witness aggressive branding. I also fancy a situation where these sponsors can lock their partnership and maybe say they sponsor the festival for the next five years,” said Dlamini.
The upcoming competition follows the success of the 11th Ntjilo-Ntjilo Arts Festival, which ended with a historic back-to-back victory for His Majesty’s Correctional Services Choir, crowned overall champions after a highly competitive showcase featuring both choral and traditional categories at the UNESWA Sports Emporium in Kwaluseni.
Building on that success and backed by increased corporate investment, the 12th edition is expected to further elevate Eswatini’s choral music landscape while providing another outstanding platform for local talent to shine.
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