With only 50 000 more votes out of the 14.5 million votes cast last week before Sunday night's live finale, the substitute teacher from KwaZulu-Natal, Noma Khumalo, won the 12th season of Idols on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) over fellow KwaZulu-Natal rival Thami Shobede.
It's the first time in 7 seasons that a woman managed to win the South African version of the singing reality show produced by M-Net, with Idols that is now only broadcast on its Mzansi Magic channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform since the 12th season.
With record vote tallies - over 83 million votes were cast in total by viewers during the 12th season - and a renewed surge in viewership making Idols the 3rd most watched show on all of DStv by October, Mzansi Magic announced during the live finale that Idols will definitely be back for a 13th season in 2017, with nationwide auditions starting in January 2017.
The controversial Gareth Cliff is now also gone from Idols as a judge, slamming M-Net in newspapers on Sunday as a parting gift, with Mzansi Magic and Idols bosses saying they haven't yet whether he will be replaced or whether the 13th season will only have three permanent judges.
The Idols live finale on Sunday at Carnival City's Big Top Arena had pyrotechnics, a laser light show and included appearances by artists AKA, Kelly Khumalo and Idols season 11 winner Karabo.
