Stars of Mzansi is a South African awards show created by state broadcaster SABC1, designed to reward men and women in a variety of entertainment fields.
There are 10 voting categories and one overall winner, who receives a prize of R1-million, half of which must be donated to a charity of their choice.
Nominees for the 1st Annual Stars of Mzansi Awards were selected by entertainment journalists and critics, and announced at an event in Johannesburg in January 2008.
Unlike traditional awards ceremonies, Stars of Mzansi awards are decided by the viewing public, who cast votes either via SMS, phone or the official website.
The 1st Annual Stars of Mzansi Awards was broadcast on SABC1 on Friday 29 February 2008, at 20h30.
The R1million prize was won by Generations actor Menzi Ngubane.
Categories and Nominees
1. Mzansi Sports Star
Bryan Habana
Makhaya Ntini
Teko Modise
Benni McCarthy
2. Mzansi Star Actress
Nthathi Moshesh
Brenda Ngxoli
Ashley Callie
Lucia Mthiyane
3. Mzansi Star Actor
Menzi Ngubane
Robert Whitehead
Sello Maake Ka-Ncube
Zane Meas
4. Mzansi Star TV Presenter
Nicky Greenwall
Jeannie D
Kabelo Ngakane
Noeleene Maholwana-Sangqu
5. Mzansi Star Club DJ
Tira
Roger Goode
DJ Fistaz
Ryan Dent
6. Mzansi Star Fashion Designer
David Tlale
Asanda Madyibi
Marianne Fassler
Gavin Rajah
7. Mzansi Star Comedian
David Kau
Loyiso Gola
Marc Lottering
Krijay Govender
8. Mzansi Star TV Show
Isidingo
Generations
Carte Blanche
Zola 7
9. Mzansi Star Radio Show
Breakfast with Thomas (Metro FM)
The Rude Awakening (Highveld Stereo)
Ezase'kseni Breakfast Show (Ukhozi FM)
5FM Mornings with Gareth Cliff (5FM)
10. Mzansi Star Music
Hip Hop Pantsula
Karen Zoid
Freshlyground
Lira
11. Star of Mzansi
The winner in each category (except for the Star TV Show and Star Radio Show categories), go forward as one of the eight finalists eligible for the overall Star of Mzansi award, which carries the R1m cash prize.
The Winners
The winners for each category:
1. Mzansi Sports Star
Bryan Habana
2. Mzansi Star Actress
Ashley Callie
3. Mzansi Star Actor
Menzi Ngubane
4. Mzansi Star TV Presenter
Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu
5. Mzansi Star Club DJ
Tira
6. Mzansi Star Fashion Designer
David Tlale
7. Mzansi Star Comedian
David Kau
8. Mzansi Star TV Show
Zola 7
9. Mzansi Star Radio Show
Ezase'kseni Breakfast Show (Ukhozi FM)
10. Mzansi Star Music
Hip Hop Pantsula
11. Star of Mzansi
Menzi Ngubane
Judging Process
The preliminary round took place in the first quarter of September 2007. The project was hosted by committee members of the Stars of Mzansi Awards; and the finals took place in December. Nominations were announced at a ceremony at Melrose Arch, Johannesburg on 25 January 2008.
Four nominees were selected in each category and winners were revealed at the Stars of Mzansi Awards held in February 2008.
The Interactive categories were presented at the Stars of Mzansi Awards Launch and placed on a different timeline to the other categories.
Voting Process
The South African public was invited to vote for a single winner in each of the categories, and in turn, the overall Star of Mzansi, by SMS, telephone and via the official website.
The voting process was audited by independent, external auditors.
Voting lines opened on 26 January 2008 and members of the public were able to cast their ballot for their nominated star of choice.
In the interest of fairness, the voting system was designed to only accept ten entries from any one cell-phone number.
Appropriate controls for online votes were implemented on the Stars of Mzansi website as well: registration was required in order to be eligible to vote and votes were limited to 10 per user.
Concept
Stars of Mzansi is an awards platform that celebrates South Africa’s popular culture and its entertainment icons with a view to building star culture in South Africa.
The platform was conceived by SABC1 on the back of the demise of the DukuDuku Awards. The project quickly exceeded the originally proposed scale, and by mid-2007 had spread well beyond the confines of the SABC.
The nominees were selected by a large panel of independent judges drawn from the entertainment, culture and related industries.
All judges were briefed to be completely free and unencumbered in their selection of stars from any local entertainment platform: be they SABC or any other.
Selection Criteria
The judges were asked to nominate stars who have enjoyed success and a high profile in the media during the period August 2006 to August 2007.
The criteria called for them to select nominees who embody a positive spirit of nationhood and "Mzansiness", and that align, in some way, with the key tenants of Stars of Mzansi, namely: glamour, fun, Mzansi vibe. They must also be positive examples to the youth of the country.
Other than that, nominations were completely at the discretion of the judges.
Organising Committee
The Stars of Mzansi project is governed by an independently-drafted manifesto aimed at uplifting star culture in South Africa.
The core management team comprises: Jason Levin (Chairperson), Linda Oompie (Espial), Lerato Plessis (Mzansi.com) and Joe Correia (South African entertainment industry doyen).