Mohalenyane Phakela
THE dream of watching Idols South Africa (IdolsSA) live which seemed so farfetched was made possible for Basotho this past weekend when DStv Lesotho took six of its customers to the grand finale of the much-loved musical contest at Carnival City in Johannesburg, South Africa on Sunday.
It was fun, leisure and comfort for the six lucky Compact and Premium subscribers who were pampered by DStv Lesotho from the moment they arrived at Moshoeshoe I International Airport on Saturday for their flight to South Africa.
They were accommodated in a top notch hotel throughout their stay in Johannesburg.
Never have the lucky customers experienced such hand-holding and pampering by the attentive DStv Lesotho staff who were always close by to ensure they were not only served with the best meals and their favourite drinks at a nearby top restaurant.
They also had the opportunity to savour the first class entertainment at Carnival City, snapping away with their phones and cameras to ensure the memorable episode will always remain to be seen by posterity.
DStv is a division of MultiChoice – a video entertainment and internet company with a strong presence in South Africa and across the African continent, including Lesotho. MultiChoice also offers subscriptions to GoTV.
IdolsSA season 13 episodes were broadcast live on Mzansi Magic – DStv Channel 161 (which is only accessible to Compact and Premium subscribers) – every Sunday since July 9 this year. The finale was also broadcast live with the DStv Lesotho customers getting messages during and after the show from their family and friends back in Lesotho saying they saw them on the television.
The six customers had front row seats for the IdolsSA final which was a shootout between Paxton Fielies (16) and Mthokozisi Ndaba (25).
Paxton won despite the huge support for Mthokozisi. And if any of the lucky six were disappointed by that result, DStv more than comforted them by hosting an a fun-filled after-party which started at one of the restaurants at Carnival City and ended at the hotel in the wee hours of Monday.
In addition, the DStv Lesotho customers enjoyed performances by household South African acts such as Boom Shaka, TKZee, Somizi, Heavy K, DJ Tira, Destruction Boys, Naak Musiq, Kwesta, Donald and Kid X.
Speaking to the Weekender this week, the customers had nothing but praise and gratitude to DStv Lesotho for giving them an experience of a lifetime.
“When I first saw the advert on Facebook, I thought it was one of those social media pranks but then I also had that ‘what if its real’ mentality hence I entered the contest,” one of the customers Ratselanyane Rantuba said.
“It became believable when we boarded a plane at Moshoeshoe I and during our stay in Johannesburg DStv ensured that we were well-taken care of.
“It was a life changing experience as we were not only able to watch Idols live but it was also the first time being on the plane for some of us.”
Another customer, Grace Ramokoatsi urged Basotho to subscribe to DStv Compact and Premium to enjoy benefits such as those they had experienced.
“As an IdolsSA follower, I always ensured I never missed an episode every Sunday on Mzansi Magic, but this experience of being able to see the show live and how it is produced topped it all.
“I would like to thank DStv Lesotho for the opportunity and further urge Basotho who follow IdolsSA to keep on subscribing to Compact and Premium so that they can one day be treated like us,” she said.
