Alex band beaten by Soweto band

The Investec Alexandra Field Band failed to defend its Field Band National Championship title from the Investec-Black Like Me Soweto Field Band in this year’s competition held in Alexandra Stadium.

The Soweto Field Band, who last won the championship in 1997, were crowned champions of the 2018 Bertie and Ronnie Lubner National Championships. The De Beers Blouberg Band took the second place while the defending champions and host, the Alexandra Field Band, took the third spot in this year’s championships.

Twenty-three projects with more than 2 000 participating members from all over the country participated in this year’s glamorous event hosted by the Field Band Foundation in partnership with the Department of Arts and Culture.

According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nicolette du Plessis, the Field Band Foundation was started in 1997 by Bertie and Ronnie Lubner of PG Group when they were celebrating hundred years of their company’s existence and wanted to put in place the legacy for young people in South Africa.

Speaking to Alex News after the event, coordinator of Investec Black Like Me, Mxolisi Hlatshwayo, said the journey had not been easy for the band after they last won the championship in 1997. “Most the band members were not even born when we last win this competition. We’ve been working very hard for the past twenty years and we will double our efforts to defend it next year.”

Thulani Dupa, Vusi Dlamini, Phumzile Twala and Sindisiwe Ngcobo were named individual winners of the Men and Women of the Year Awards with a cheque of R 3 000,00 awarded to each person.

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