A Pledge To You (by Phillip Ramphisa)

“Have u ever paid for the next person at a tollgate just to save them from digging their own pocket and to surprise a total stranger. Try it; it will make your day!!”
“We gave to overcome challenges of the Tsunami; we also gave to overcome the devastation that Hurricane Katrina caused. Now let us give in a happy manner to make one of our own a star that he truly is.”

Nhlanhla Mwelse is a remarkable young man who made it from working as a gardener in Springs to one of the top five contestants in the Mnet Idols 2005 competition. His voice is as unique as that of Elton John’s - his fans usually say, “nobody sings like Elton John, nobody sings like Nhlanhla Mwelse”.

He is definitely reminds us of the likes of Brenda Fassie - a true talent.

What is striking about Nhlanhla is that in the Mnet idols competition he is not a judges’ favourite and his fans seem to be a few who vote in hundreds. This makes for an amazing and powerful team because Nhlanhla himself loves his fans more than any other celebrity that has ever been seen - to him they are not just numbers, they are people who care, who deserve his gratitude.

In his message to his fans (available on his fan site) he even wishes that he can meet his fans one by one to thank them. Not only does he cherish his fans but he longs for an opportunity to reach out to people in dire circumstances and help them make it. Nhlanhla's Die-Hard fans have managed to keep him in the competition by voting even though the judges comments were unfavourable towards him; they did not stop voting and did so with hundreds of sms’s each, just to ensure he remained in the competition. With this kind of commitment, his fans became known as Die-Hards. They do not vote based on one performance and comments from judges, but vote because they want to buy the first CD that their superstar Nhlanhla Mwelse will record after winning the competition.

Nhlanhla is an inspiration to all South Africans.

I ask for your contribution in making this young man a star that he is. At 22 years old he still has much to achieve and to contribute to South Africans, as well as the music industry. His talent gives him the right to win the idols competition, his strength of character is admirable enough to justify that you give votes for him.

If you were to make one person a star and they deserved it, how much would you give? Sometimes, you just have to listen to give; sometimes you just need offer a suggestion; other times, we give by smiling at a person.

Today, I am offering you an opportunity to give something else to help turn Nhlanhla into the star he most surely will become.

Please cast your vote this Sunday (13 November) and Monday (14 November) for Nhlanhla Mwelse.

The idols competition broadcasts live on Mnet during open time on Sunday from 17:30 to 19:00. Please watch as Nhlanhla sings in his unique voice and shows us the world! More importantly, please join hands with the Die-Hards to vote for him as many times as you can this Sunday.

Even if you don’t watch Idols please cast your vote wherever you are after 17:30 on Sunday to make a new South African star.

To vote for Nhlanhla, sms Nhlanhla to 33676 or call 0862277711. Vote lines open on Sunday 17:30 until Monday 18:30 each week. Please vote as many times as u can in bulks and bunches. Each sms will cost R1.50 and a call will cost R2.05 cents per vote.

To find out more about Nhlanhla you can go to his fan site or fan blog:

http://www.geocities.com/nhlanhlamwelse or http://nhlanhlamwelse.blogspot.com/

To join Nhlanhla’s email group send a blank email to
'nhlanhla-subscribe@yahoogroups.com'

To find out more about the Mnet idols show you can go to:

http://idols.mnet.co.za/


written by Phillip Ramphisa