M-Net entitled to remove Siyakha from Idols SA, court rules

Siyakha Tshayela on Saturday evening approached the Gauteng High Court after Idols SA withdrew her from the competition due to “contract issues”.

Tshayela signed an agreement with Idols in February despite her having entered into another contract with another recording company which was in place until 2019.

Idols reportedly gave her an opportunity to resolve the issue, but she had been unable to do so by September 15.

“As Idols was entering the Top 10 stage, it was not possible to keep her in the competition,” reads a statement from Idols.

ALSO READ >> Siyakha withdrawn from Idols SA

Tshayela then approached the court to allow her to participate in the Top 16 round “despite not despite not complying with one of the significant rules of the competition: that she be able to sign an exclusive recording deal with a label identified by Idols”.

Tshayela reportedly told Idols SA that she had tried to cancel the contract, but the third party disputed this.

The Gauteng High Court concluded that Idols and M-Net were entitled to exclude her from the competition.

Judge Ismail ruled that Tshayela had made a misrepresentation in the agreement she signed with Idols, and this entitled Idols to end her participation.

“Because her court application failed, she will not be able to continue as a contestant.

“The rules of the competition specifically state that contestants must be able to sign an exclusive contract with a record label identified by Idols. This is to ensure that opportunities are given to talent who do not have existing recording contracts,” reads the statement.