After her axing Unathi Nkayi says it was an honour being an Idols judge on MultiChoice's Mzansi Magic.

by Thinus Ferreira

After getting axed as an Idols judge on Mzansi Magic before the 18th season, Unathi Nkayi in a statement says it was an honour having been part of the reality format series.

Both Randall Abrahams and Unathi Nkayi were axed from the South African version of the Fremantle format show produced by [SIC] Entertainment before auditions started this past Sunday for the upcoming season 18 that will be shown later this year on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161).

Mzansi Magic said it's not renewing the contracts of Randall Abrahams or Unathi Nkanyi who have served as Idols judges respectively since the start of Idols in 2002 for 17 seasons and since 2011 for 10 seasons.

The South African version of Idols has Gavin Wratten as director and executive producer, along with Anneke de Ridder and ProVerb (Tebogo Thekisho) as co-producers with ProVerb also being the host.

The departure of Randall Abrahams and Unathi Nkayi follow after the exit of the controversial Somizi Mhlongo in 2021 following serious allegations of physical abuse against the socialite, after which Idols immediately lost a third of its Sunday evening ratings on Mzansi Magic as viewers tuned out.

Somizi Mhlongo stands accused of alleged shocking physical violence and emotional abuse - charges he has not been cleared of - including allegedly chasing his former lover Mohale Motaung with a knife. 

Mzansi Magic and [SIC] Entertainment have reportedly been discussing the possible return of Somizi Mhlongo for the 18th season to try and reverse Idols' ratings collapse during season 17.

The public image of Unathi Nkayi also took a knock in late-2021 when she was involved in a behind-the-scenes verbal fight with fellow radio host Sizwe Dhlomo at the Kaya FM radio station that spilt out in public, and which led to Kaya FM firing her.

In a statement posted on her Instagram account on social media, Unathi Nkayi says that it was an honour for her to have been a part of the show as a judge.

"To every contestant who stood in front of us. From the ones brave enough to share with us their hopes. I don't take lightly the act of doing that for the world to see. An honour I will always hold. Thank you for trusting me as one of your judges."

"To those who unleashed a new level of my tears, heavily pregnant with Baby Idols garnering for Wooden Mic, thank you for the laughter and joy."

"I can never thank you enough Anneke, for making that call asking me to join the Idols family. Gav and Prozza thank you for trusting me with such a great responsibility. One that would form part of the narrative and soundtrack of our souls as a people. You changed my life and that of my family."

"To MultiChoice, how humbling that you continue to make every boy and girl believe in themselves no matter which corner they come from, including me. To every special being who has given to the brilliance of the show. It has been a true honour being part of the family. And to the new members of our family. Good luck."

"Thank you to each and every one of you for pushing me to be the very best version of myself every Sunday for eleven years."

Mzansi Magic said it's not ready to announce the new Idols judges.

ALSO READ: Mzansi Magic and [SIC] Entertainment dump Idols judges Randall Abrahams and Unathy Nkayi before season 18 auditions start on Sunday.

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Mzansi Magic and [SIC] Entertainment dump Idols judges Randall Abrahams and Unathi Nkayi before season 18 auditions start on Sunday.

by Thinus Ferreira

In a shocking and unexplained move, Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) and [SIC] Entertainment is dumping both Randall Abrahams and Unathi Nkayi as judges for the upcoming 18th season of the struggling Idols reality show.

"The channel will not be renewing their contracts with for the upcoming season of the popular singing show," says Shirley Adonisi, M-Net director for local entertainment channels, in a statement issued late on Friday afternoon.

"We are taking a fresh approach to the judging panel to retain audiences and stay competitive in the Sunday night timeslot."

The axing of the long-serving Randall Abrahams and Unathi Nkayi follows after Somizi Mhlongo departed in 2021 following serious allegations of physical abuse after which Idols immediately lost a third of its Sunday evening ratings on Mzansi Magic as viewers tuned out.

Unathi Nkayi also dented her public image in 2021 after she was engulfed in a scandal at the Kaya FM radio station and then fired following a verbal fight with fellow radio host Sizwe Dhlomo and was accused of trying to bully him.

Randall Abrahams was an Idols judge since the first season with Unathi Nkayi, then known as Unathi Msengana, who was added as a new judge from the 7th season in 2011, replacing Mara Louw.

Auditions for Idols season 18 start on Sunday 23 January with director and executive producer Gavin Wratten and co-producers Anneke de Ridder and ProVerb (Tebogo Thekisho).

"We salute these great icons of South African entertainment and thank them both for great innings on Idols," Shirley Adonisi says in the statement. "Randall and Unathi have demonstrated high levels of professionalism and made an impact on the South African entertainment scene that will continue to be felt for some time to come. We wish them well in their endeavours."

ALSO READ: M-Net's Mzansi Magic channel and [SIC] Entertainment plan to bring back controversial Somizi Mhlongo as judge for Idols season 18 and to drop Unathi Nkayi - report

ALSO READ: Mzansi Magic abruptly axes Idols winner media briefing for season 17 after 19 years as ratings plunge.

ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. Why lazy M-Net's lackadaisical decision to drop the Idols winner Mzansi Magic media briefing damages DStv, Idols and South Africa's entertainment press. 

M-Net's Mzansi Magic channel and [SIC] Entertainment plan to bring back controversial Somizi Mhlongo as judge for Idols season 18 and to drop Unathi Nkayi - report.

by Thinus Ferreira

In a desperate attempt to try and stem a dramatic ratings decline and to save Idols in South Africa, M-Net's Mzansi Magic TV channel on DStv as well as production company [SIC] Entertainment is reportedly planning to bring back the scandal-riddled choreographer Somizi Mhlongo who stands accused of serious physical abuse, and to get rid of Unathi Nkayi who also tarnished her image in 2021.

On Sunday City Press reported that executives at M-Net's Mzansi Magic TV channel and [SIC] Entertainment, producing the format reality singing competition seen on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service, is allegedly mulling the idea of bringing back the scandal-engulfed Somizi Mhlongo as a possible on-screen element for 2022's season 18 of Idols to try and reverse the show's precipitous ratings collapse during 2021's season 17.

Idols' TV ratings plunged after the socialite exited the show when he was engulfed in damaging allegations of physical and emotional abuse of his then-partner, Mohale Motaung after shocking audio recordings of the allegations were leaked.

Somizi Mhlongo stands accused of alleged shocking physical violence and emotional abuse - charges he has not been cleared of - including allegedly chasing Mohale Motaung with a knife. 

Unathi Nkayi who dented her public image in 2021 is reportedly also out at Idols as a judge after she was engulfed in a scandal at the Kaya FM radio station and then fired following a verbal fight with fellow radio host Sizwe Dhlomo and was accused of trying to bully him.

On Sunday City Press quoted sources close to the Idols production saying that "Somizi has been given the green light because he is obviously the life of the show and there was a huge difference when he was on the show, in terms of declining viewership. So he will be making a return this season after he was given a break last year to sort out his personal issues".

According to a source Somizi Mhlongo has been filming on-air promos that MultiChoice and Mzansi Magic plan to run to announce his return to DStv.

The newspaper wasn't able to contact Somizi Mhlongo for comment since his cellphone was switched off and Unathi Nkayi didn't answer and didn't return text messages.

Idols started off season 17 with 1 018 607 viewers on Mzansi Magic in July 2021 as usual, as the 4th most-watched show on all of DStv for the month.

Instead of climbing and the usual ratings increase as interest would build, Idols suddenly plunged with DStv subscribers who were no longer interested in watching following the scandal as the show plunged on DStv's most-watched list, and lost a third of its entire viewership in one go.

In 2021 Somizi Mhlongo was also slammed by the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) in a strongly-worded statement over his attacks and insults levelled against journalists.

Somizi attacked journalists after reports about his alleged infidelity and crumbling relationship and a legal battle over the canned Dinner at Somizi's TV show, after he was approached for comment but declined to comment.

Sanef said that Somizi's "actions have aggravated what is already a hostile working environment, especially for women journalists. This is a direct attack on media freedom in the country. Worldwide similar attacks are being meted out on journalists with the intent to silence their voices, especially that of women and the stories they tell."

Sanef called on Somizi Mhlongo to "unreservedly apologise to these journalists and the public on all his social platforms for his unbecoming behaviour. He must call on his followers to stop harassing and intimidating them. Further, we call on the journalists to lay charges of intimidation and for MultiChoice to officially distance themselves from Mhlongo's comments." 

Auditions for Idols season 18 starts next week on 23 January with director and executive producer Gavin Wratten and co-producers Anneke de Ridder and ProVerb (Tebogo Thekisho).

On Sunday morning Mzansi Magic was asked for comment about Somizi Mhlongo's possible return and Unathi Nkayi's possible ouster from Idols, and the response will be added here if received.

ALSO READ: Mzansi Magic abruptly axes Idols winner media briefing for season 17 after 19 years as ratings plunge.

ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. Why lazy M-Net's lackadaisical decision to drop the Idols winner Mzansi Magic media briefing damages DStv, Idols and South Africa's entertainment press.