GALLERY: SA’s Bachelor and Bachelorette finalists announced
The competition that focuses on competitor contribution and charity work hits the final stretch.
Saturday, 27 June saw not only the coldest weekend so far this winter, but also the announcement of the finalists for the SA Bachelor and Bachelorette 2015 at Kloofzicht Lodge and Spa in Muldersdrift.
This competition involves neither red roses nor a tacky reality-TV marriage, but rather provides a platform for the winner to make a difference in South Africa. To qualify, candidates need to be over 20 years old, not married or engaged, and able to make a meaningful contribution through community and charity work. The competition opened in April and started with 25 candidates. From there, the number was whittled down to 14 semi-finalists who had six weeks to prove what they could accomplish by public voting on Facebook and generating sponsors.
Once chosen, candidates had to work extremely hard, doing their own fundraising to earn a spot in the finals. From there, the pressure increased. Finalist Ivan Green, 30, is the first competitor from PE to make it to the finals. He noted that getting sponsorship was difficult – with the competition only launched in 2011 – it’s not quite a well enough known event. He really had a challenging time when it came to approaching sponsors, which makes his spot in the finals commendable.
This year’s eight finalists are Carliza Baard (21, Somerset West), Samantha Eaton (27, Pretoria), Ilke Fortuin (21, Paarl), Lee Nagel (26 Roodepoort), Jordan Chandler (23, Cape Town), Ivan Green (30, Port Elizabeth), Wayne Stafford (38, Randburg) and Shaun Stander (32, Durban). The finalists are supporting five charitites, all with the emphasis on the well-being of children – Jacaranda Children’s Home, Louis Botha Children’s Home, Cansa, Food Bank South Africa and Amadea Safe House.
It was an intimate affair with enchanting performances by Bongiwe Madlala, Granville Michaels and judges George Meiring and Karen Ferreira. Completing the judging panel were CopperStone Promotions director and competition founder, Jacques Momberg, Brenda Dooge, Vilje Maritz, Rialien Furstenberg, Johan Smith, Karen van Huyssteen, André Schoeman and Liezl Thom.
The winners will be announced on 7 November at an event held at Silverstar Casino.
