After a long season of klops which started on Tweede Nuwe Jaar, new kids on the klopse scene Baruch Entertainers are the winners of Kaapse Klopse Karnival Section One.
The team with slogan “Baruch in jou oeg” won the section by as many as 48 points ahead of the runners-up Juvie Boys and Cape Town Hawkers in third place.
Baruch Entertainers walked away with the top prizes in klopse jo l Combine Chorus, both voorlopertjies, Best Band and Adult Sentimental.
In my opinion, they played the carnival with heart and never dropped their standard from day one, so it was refreshing to hear Athlone Stadium roar with approval when the judges announced them the winners.
Slamat, Baruch, julle is gevaarlik and well-deserved winners of Combine Kings of section one.
The item of the season thus far with section two pending has to go to the Juvie Boys, who won the Group Song item on the last day with a stunning performance.
WON: Baruch Entertainers, newcomers shine
The Juvies continue to innovate in this particular item, be it with choreography, props or just singing this item.
This year’s arrangement included Alicia Keys’ Girl on Fir e, I’m Yours and then Despacito, which the Juvies then went on to sing in Spanish with perfect diction, much to the delight of all present at the stadium and, deservedly, the judges awarded them first prize.
The hotly contested Moppie item was also one that the judges must have had a tough time with, as most of the moppies were quite good.
In the end, the trophies went to Cape Town Hawkers and Imo V for Afrikaans moppie, and Ghakeem Roman and the Juvie Boys who took the English moppie. Well done, guys.
Most of the first prizes were shared between the top two - Baruch and Juvie Boys - with Cape Town Hawkers also winning the Female Sentimental, Juvenile Combine Chorus and Best Board.
The original District Six took first prize for best dress and, might I add, they looked stunning.
In the Super Cup, one the teams that progressed to the champ of champs was the fantastic Mitchells Plain All Stars who were pushed all the way by Kuils River Youth Development.
The All Stars won a number of first prizes but the Adult Sentimental, sung by Anwar Gambeno, was the one prize that they all treasured as it carried a lot of sentimental value for the team.
That and the huge first prize winners’ trophy, of course.
Well done, Mitchells Plain All Stars.
FUN: Na-eez Domingo of Kensington All Stars perfomed the English Comic song
The exciting part of this carnival is that even though Baruch has won their section, they have to compete on 24 February again in order to be crowned Carnival Kings.
Every single team that advanced feel they still have an opportunity of winning the title and rightly so.
KKKA has structured this carnival in such a way that the competition remains exciting up until the end, it’s quite intense and riveting at the same time.
So good luck to the teams who qualified from section one. And 24 February might see one of the biggest klopse competitions in the history of klops.
The KKKA is rapidly delivering to us the carnival competition the people want to see.
The main thing people are wondering out there: Was the competition fair?
To that I say: everybody always believes that they must win or had to win or that they can’t be beaten in this or that, but that is why there are judges and their decision is final.
In my opinion, yes it was fair. Baruch and All Stars both performed well enough, consistently enough and stuck to rules and the criteria for every single item, so they are deserving winners.
Slamat!