Winkie Dibakwane

Winkie Dibakwane

Preparations for the most popular competitive choral music showcase are taking place across South Africa and in neighbouring countries.

Unearthing and nurturing talent is the main aim of the yearly Old Mutual National Choir Festival.

The finals will be held at the Standard Bank Arena in Johannesburg on December 5 and 7. Old Mutual has been backing the showcase for the past 21 years.

Choirs that have qualified in the district heats feature in the regional deciders, which will finish on October 5.

Regional winners will compete in the finals in Johannesburg on December 6 and 7.

Mpumalanga hosted the first of 10 regional finals, followed by Swaziland, Port Elizabeth, Pietermaritzburg, Kimberley, Cape Town and Vereeniging.

The last three preliminaries will be held in:

l Thohoyandou, Limpopo, on September 21;

l Kroonstad, Free State, on September 28 and

l Rustenburg, North West, on October 5.

- Additional reporting by Victor Mecoamere