Edward Tsumele

Edward Tsumele

Acting heart-throb Sello Maake ka Ncube wants his fans to know that he is still in the running for the country's most lucrative celebrity competition - Mzansi Stars.

The actor, who saw confusion being sown in his way by the business rivalry between his employers, e.tv, and the SABC over his nomination, is sure he will walk away with the crown.

The winner will be announced at the State Theatre in Pretoria tonight. Maake is known as Daniel Nyathi on e.tv's Scandal.

The nominees were announced last month and no sooner had the announcement been made than the rivalry between e.tv and the SABC exploded. E.tv demanded that all their actors who had been nominated be withdrawn from the contest, leaving fans who were eligible to vote for winners confused.

A confident Maake cleared the air yesterday.

"I can tell all my fans that I am definitely in and have been given the green light by e.tv to contest," he said.

But, Ncube felt that he and other nominees from Scandal, such as Nthati Moshesh, have been disadvantaged in that they are not getting the same media exposure as other contestants who are not bogged down in the controversy surrounding their nomination.

"The rest of the actors are getting exposure through SABC channels, and I and others from e.tv are getting nothing.

"My agent has been trying to organise interviews for me at some SABC channels, without success. I sense there is reluctance to interview those associated with e.tv."

Mzansi Stars organising committee spokesman Simphiwe Mthembu says this is not so. "Sello has nothing to fear because he was part of the on-air promotion and any publicity organised did not prejudice anyone nominated.

"He stands as good a chance as anyone else. Voting closed on Tuesday, and the auditors are counting votes, ready to announce the winners tonight."