South Africa has recently seen prominent home-brewed DJs winning various awards and accolades abroad as well as collaborating with international acts, thus putting Mzansi on the map.
Being a top-performing DJ has certainly proved to be a success internationally, with the likes of Calvin Harris, David Guetta and Tiesto, and now, the wave has hit South Africa.
Balfour Mall hosted a DJ Smash up competition last year. It was an opportunity for local artists to showcase their skills at two live events at the mall, and aspiring DJs were able to win prizes worth over R343 500.
Contestants had to enter their two-minute video clips on the Balfour Mall’s Facebook page as well as through an in-centre DJ booth. The mall, along with its affiliated sponsors African Bank, Alex FM, Boston City Campus and Kulcha Magazine selected 20 of the best videos with big nods for creativity, performance and presentation. Customers, as well as the general public, voted for their favourite.
The semi-finals saw the top five contestants perform, which included Yaugan Rorke, Phumlani Mzobe, Karabo Mosite, Denzil Tracey and Dibane Ledwaba. The final round of the competition, saw Ledwaba, a 27-year-old from Polokwane, prove himself to be top dog. He walked away with prizes worth R217 700, which included R50 000 in cash from Balfour Mall, a three-year bursary from Boston City Campus, a six-month internship with Alex FM, and a Mecer tablet and hamper from African Bank.
Second place saw Rorke take the title with R25 000 in cash from Boston City Campus and an African Bank hamper.
Third place went to Tracey, who won a Boston City Campus bursary worth R20 000 and an African Bank hamper.
Fourth and Fifth place, respectively, went to Mosite and Mzobe, who received R20 000 Boston City Campus bursaries.
Upcoming DJs were not the only winners for the day, as lucky draw customers, Johannes Makhafala from North View High School and Thato Mokobane from Sandton View High School each walked away with a R20 000 Boston City Campus bursary.
Balfour Mall centre manager, Meryl Bessesar said of the event, “One of our objectives is to [give] back to the local community by creating platforms and opportunities that will empower our customers. Based on the number of entries and response, we will certainly be running this competition in the future.”
The mall’s marketing manager, Lebogang Legwale added, “We are beyond thrilled with our sponsors and thank them for their generosity for this event.”
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