War cry battles: St Stithians Boys, Jeppe Girls, and Redhill win 5FM's challenge
The War Cry Initiative elevated South African chants into a nationwide challenge, spotlighting high school talent across nine provinces.
Some of the winners plan to reinvest their prize money into the communities that supported them.
South African schools have long been celebrated for their electrifying war cries, a spirited cultural legacy that echoes nationwide across sports fields and school grounds.
Through its War Cry Initiative, this powerful cultural expression has been propelled into 5FM's nationwide competition that recognises and celebrates talent among high schools.
Nine provinces, hundreds of submissions, and a prize of R20 000 up for grabs—three Gauteng schools emerged victorious as the winners of the 2025 5FM War Cry competition: St Stithians Boys' College, Jeppe High School for Girls and Redhill School.
The joyous celebration unfolded in the SABC Radio Park foyer, with the air buzzing with the sounds of saxophones, jubilant singing, and thunderous war cries as the winners marked their achievements.
News24
The schools were invited to 5FM's offices to receive their R20 000 prize money, courtesy of Standard Bank, while sharing a breakfast.
Chad Bacher, president of the Redhill School Spirit Team, said the win meant a lot to them.
"I can remember when we were planning this idea of the war cry—we were just in class, and it was so electrifying, even from then. This was the end goal. It's so exciting to have been on this journey with 5FM, Standard Bank, and our Redhill community, so it feels so good to be seen," he said.
He spoke about the dedication to building the Redhill spirit team's legacy.
READ|
"We have put in work—it's all about building our legacy as Redhill Spirit because we are one of the smaller schools that entered. But we have the heart and spirit that carried us through."
While undecided on utilising the prize money, Chad said it was likely to be invested back into the community that supported them.
News24
Similarly, Kadijah Bah from Jeppe Girls shared their plans to give back to their school community.
"Because we are a government school, we hope to use the money to help the girls who can't go on school trips and sports tours. We also want to invest in building a proper guard hut for our guards because it's currently small," she said.
Winning brought immense pride to the all-girls school.
"Being here is so amazing. Winning a war cry competition as an all-girls school feels so good because there's this misconception that girls can't be loud. The fact that we made it so far feels incredible," Bah added.
News24
The head of spirits from St Stithians Boys College, John-Paul Suzi-Banda, echoed those sentiments.
"We put four hours a week into practising and ensuring that we put together a strong submission. It feels good to win because we worked hard," he said.
He reflected on their contributions and added, "We're happy to have participated in this competition, and it's fulfilling to know our war cry was so well received."
Nick Hamman, host of 5 Breakfast on 5FM, applauded the significance and growth of this annual event.
"We received countless entries—I honestly can't remember how many. At the initial stages of the competition, we intentionally made it easy for schools to submit. From every corner of South Africa, high schools sent entries of all kinds. We spent countless nights watching, downloading, and listening," he said.
Hamman emphasised the global admiration for South African war cries, particularly among the youth.
"Globally, South Africans, especially young ones, are applauded for their war cries. As 5FM, the voice of the youth, we knew we had a responsibility to elevate these young voices."
He also highlighted the competition's rise in visibility, with last year's submissions attracting praise from celebrities like A$AP Ferg and Sharon Stone and coverage from major sports networks worldwide.
The 2025 edition of the competition featured an inclusive judging process that considered co-ed, boys-only, and girls-only schools equally.
Hamman reflected on a pivotal moment from the previous year: "A girls' school won last year, which was amazing because, historically, people assume boys' schools are better at war cries. Yet, the girls' entry from St Stithians College outshone them all."
This year, the boys from St Stithians reclaimed the spotlight with another stellar performance.
Hamman highlighted the integrity behind the evaluations: "There's an internal rubric shared among stakeholders within 5FM and Standard Bank. We look closely at social media engagement, listener metrics, and public feedback. Ultimately, a panel of people, informed by the public, makes the final decision."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
2 days ago
- News24
Celebrate 15 years of Mzansi Magic
On 12 July 2010, a bold new voice emerged on South African television - one that spoke our language, reflected our lives and told Mzansi-born and bred stories in a refreshing way. That voice was Mzansi Magic. What began as a modest programming block of local series and international films has grown into a powerhouse producer and showcase of homegrown content. Over the years, Mzansi Magic has delivered award-winning shows and films, created unprecedented opportunities for local talent and played a pivotal role in shaping the South African production industry. At its inception, the channel set out to 'engage producers and explore possibilities beyond traditional commissioning models'. That vision has been realised - and gone beyond what what MultiChoice expected at its inception. Mzansi Magic's stories, stars and shows have influenced language, fashion and culture, while setting new benchmarks for local storytelling. From the beloved Lokshin Bioskop films to genre-defining dramas and reality shows, the channel has become a cultural cornerstone for Southern Africa. Mzansi Magic has brought us unforgettable moments: the gripping drama of iNkaba (2012), the iconic Isibaya (2013), the boundary-pushing Rockville (2013), the reality sensation Date My Family (2017), and the groundbreaking Lockdown (2017). These titles didn't just entertain - they sparked conversations, launched careers and redefined what local television could be. The channel has also nurtured new talent through initiatives like the MultiChoice Talent Factory, where graduates have gone on to contribute to some of Mzansi Magic's most beloved productions. 'For 15 years, Mzansi Magic has stood at the heart of South African entertainment — a platform where authenticity meets ambition, and where themes of family, resilience and identity are brought to life through bold storytelling and unforgettable characters,' says Nomsa Philiso, CEO of General Entertainment. 'What sets Mzansi Magic apart is not just the stories we tell, but the scale at which we tell them and the diversity they celebrate.' As part of the celebration, viewers can look forward to a curated showcase of iconic moments, unforgettable characters and fan-favourite genres - a journey through the stories that shaped a generation. A special commemorative documentary will also spotlight the channel's legacy, the talent it has nurtured and the cultural impact it continues to make. This celebration comes to life through the Mzansi Magic Pop-Up Channel - a special, limited-time experience on DStv Channel 196 - created to honour 15 years of storytelling excellence and the audiences who made it all possible. 'Mzansi Magic has always been about stories that reflect who we are… real, raw and proudly South African,' says Shirley Adonisi, Channel Director for Local Entertainment Channels at M-Net. 'This celebration is our way of saying 'Siyabonga Mzansi' for 15 unforgettable years. Our channel was raised by the audience and we're grateful for their commitment.' And the journey continues... With fresh content like the upcoming original crime drama Levels, starring Lunathi Mampofu and Bonko Khoza, premiering on 7 September, Mzansi Magic is just getting started. So whether you've been there since the very first 'Yoh!' or joined along the way - this is your moment to relive the magic, remember the icons and look forward to the next chapter.
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Review: ‘Billie Jean' at Chicago Shakes is a straightforward account of a champion's story
In the final few minutes of 'Billie Jean,' the new play with Broadway aspirations at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, we follow Billie Jean King and her spouse, Ilana Kloss, the South African former tennis player. King, one of the most extraordinary living Americans and once (frankly, still) one of the most famous women in the world, came fully out of the closet relatively late in life, and the scenes involve King's loving but traditional Southern California parents accepting the lesbian couple. Those moments are deeply emotional and, quite frankly, beautiful enough in their simplicity to bring a tear to the eye. Chilina Kennedy, the Canadian star who plays King, is finally allowed a chance to breathe and Callie Rachelle Johnson, who plays Ilana (among others), is one of those performers capable of creating a character to whom one inherently warms. King has come home in all the ways we all crave and the gravitas and challenges of her journey feel at once familiar and extraordinary. In a world seemingly bereft of heroes and heroines, these last few minutes send the audience out on a genuine high. I wouldn't normally talk about the end of a show like this, but this hardly is a spoiler for any tennis fans who have followed King's career. More importantly, this script and production would be so much better if more scenes took their time to land emotionally and felt the same way. Biographical shows about very famous, and very impressive, living people are tricky. The writer inevitably wants to please and hail the subject, who holds the keys to her own life, having been there. As we've seen with many Broadway jukebox biographies, even if the subject doesn't want a hagiography (and I can't imagine that the famously honest King did), that doesn't mean she won't get one. There's also commercial motivation: No one coming to a play about Billie Jean King is looking for something that does not celebrate her achievements. So it's easy for the authorial voice to blur with the subject, and that is what happens here, a bit too much. Supporting characters, many of whom remain overly one-dimensional, are seen through a singular lens. On some levels, that's fair enough. We can read whose name is on the marquee. And why not celebrate the struggles and triumphs of such an icon? Given that King is now 81 years old, it's also likely that generations of Americans are less than fully aware of all she achieved and I can see mothers, especially, taking their daughters to this show and saying, 'See?' The piece is also a celebration of the multi-decade LGBTQ struggle, and of the LGBTQ community as a whole, especially since it includes King's full-throttle support of the pioneering transsexual player Renée Richards (Murphy Taylor Smith), tacitly distinguishing King from, say, Martina Navratilova on that issue. All of the above are valid reasons for a piece of biographical theater. But I also think plays, even plays about a person as virtuous and courageous as King, also have an imperative to challenge and surprise their audiences. You don't get other points of view here on anything, at least not beyond the appearance of various stereotypical obstacles to King's progress. So when the play, say, posits the Australian player Margaret Court mostly as a villain, one cannot help but wonder what she would have had to say, given the chance. The same is true of Larry King (Dan Amboyer), who is a confusing and underwritten presence here, kinda supporting the heroine one moment and behaving like the classic controlling dude the next, so as to fit the overall narrative in which his influence must be vanquished for full self-actualization. I wonder what he would have said, too. Plus, human lives like this one are long, and they can feel that way when plays precede chronologically. 'Billie Jean' sets itself the task of exploring its subject from girlhood through emergent doubles accomplishment, through her astonishing list of singles titles at Wimbledon, where she thrived, to her complicated but abiding marriage to Larry, through the famous 'Battle of the Sexes' match with Bobby Riggs to the scandal involving King's relationship with Lenne Klingaman's wacky Marilyn Barnett (who filed a palimony suit against King in 1981), to King's work to create the Virginia Slims tournament (and by extension the WTA tour), to how the media treated her to her admirable philosophies of life to her impact on Venus Williams (Courtney Rikki Green). Along the way, it heralds many of King's views of sports and life, including her conviction, rare among professional athletes of all stripes, that 'pressure is a privilege.' King's life has, to say the least, been amply documented. For decades. So for those of us who have followed tennis, we already know about her astonishing 39 Grand Slam titles and her unstinting advocacy for women's tennis, especially the need to persuade the tennis establishment that women deserved to have a place to play, equal and fair compensation, and to be recognized and understood not just for their looks or as amateur curiosities but as some of the world's greatest professional athletes. And, of course, we also know what King achieved in tennis also (eventually) crushed barriers to women in other sports from golf to soccer. 'Billie Jean' tells its laudatory story very capably, thanks in no small part to a very energized and fluid production from director Marc Bruni. The show does not feature actual tennis (beyond a few stylized arm movements and sound effects), nor does it get into the tennis weeds at all; 'Billie Jean' actually never really explores what made King so good at the game besides chronicling her determination and love of winning. Some sense of her formidable technique surely would help round out the picture. The show also glosses over her first singles title, which seemed strange to me, but then there's a lot to cover in such a life. The battle with Riggs also zips by, presumably since the show well knows it already was the subject of an excellent movie. At times, it feels like you are watching a staged Wikipedia entry, frankly, given all the narrative interjections from the eight-person ensemble, not all of which are needed. But at others, playwright Lauren Gunderson's skills with poetic language really kick in, the text takes more risks of style and form and Kennedy, who is superbly cast in this difficult role, handles everything anyone hurls her way with aplomb. I'm sure many of King's fans will love this piece, which is set on a revolving tennis court set designed by Wilson Chin, but I hope the next draft deviates a little more from the straight race through an incredible American life and sits longer with the beating heart of its most human of subjects. That, after all, was Billie Jean King's actual secret weapon. Review: 'Billie Jean' (3 stars) When: Through Aug. 10 Where: Chicago Shakespeare's Yard Theatre on Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes Tickets: $73-$134 at 312-595-5600 and
News24
2 days ago
- News24
‘Never lose yourself in a relationship because of a man' - Zenande Mfenyana on playing Thumeka
She has been the talk of social media since the show premiered. Her portrayal of such a complex character has resonated with female viewers, who can't help but sympathise with her situation. She's no stranger to playing captivating characters that keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Her previous roles include Noluntu Memela on Generations and Goodness Mabuza on The Queen. Now, she takes on the striking role of Thumeka on Inimba. Read more | Dawn Thandeka King opens up about her divorce on Untied: 'That killed me' Talented South African actress Zenande Mfenyana has captured the hearts of many as Thumeka in Inimba. Thumeka's love for Hlathi knows no bounds, and she will stop at nothing to hold onto him. In the show, her world falls apart when her partner for 20 years abruptly decides to leave her and go back to his first wife (Zoleka), who also happens to be Thumeka's cousin. To regain his love, Thumeka goes to unimaginable measures to alter her appearance and wardrobe to look like her husband's first wife. The realisation that her actions are in vain causes her to unravel, and her desperation leads her to attempt to take her own life. Speaking to Drum, Zenande reveals the impact, lessons and challenges the role has taught her. Read more | Senior Oat opens up about financial struggles - 'I just want bookings' She says that in a way, she could resonate with Thumeka as she, too, has abandoned herself in relationships. 'I can fully relate to what Thumeka is doing for Hlathi. Completely immersing yourself in love and forgetting yourself, forgetting your own identity and being lost in someone else's identity, that's the craziest thing I've ever done. And when you walk out of that relationship, you don't even know yourself anymore, because you've always been this person's person, and you've always seen yourself as this person's person, you don't even recognise yourself when the relationship is over,' she tells us. 'You should never lose yourself in a relationship all because of a man.' Read more | 'It represents healing' - Cici opens up about her new album She says when preparing for the role, she had to see Thumeka through the lens of all women. 'This is a story of so many women. And so, for me, having to remove the judgment from the character, that's first and foremost. I need to play her authentically, and for me to be able to resonate with the part of her, I need to strip away the judgment. And it starts with preparation, as we get the script way in advance.' Read more | Thulisile Phongolo exits Generations: The Legacy... again 'Her story is a representation of how women get immersed in a relationship and lose themselves. You forget your hobbies. You forget what interests you. I don't even remember Thumeka pursuing something that she likes - it's always been about Hlathi. Even now that she's walked away. It challenges one to do some self-introspection and ask themselves, before I get into a relationship, who am I? Am I going to compromise who I am for the sake of this relationship? Because should this not work out, or should it end, who am I outside of this?' she highlights. Read more | 'I've grown so much' - House of Zwide's Nefisa Mkhabela talks industry lessons Zenande believes that women can learn from Thumeka's character. 'When love goes wrong, when the relationship goes wrong, you can still be you. You can still find yourself outside of that because people have free will to walk away from you at any given point, but you need to know you will still be you even without a man or anyone else.' She believes that the acting industry should spend more time seeking talent rather than relevance and that actors should harness their skills instead of seeking fame. 'I think more than anything, sometimes talent is discarded. Not discarded in the sense that people don't see it, but just that they want a quick fix. They don't take the time anymore to go and nurture their talents. I've been in the industry for 18 years i and I still have an acting coach.' ' You learn so much from being part of acting workshops. So, it's going the extra mile for me because there was a point when I was out of work for so long. And I was like, God, if this is not for me anymore, if you don't want me in the acting industry anymore, then take it away. Take the longing to want to act away from me and let me pursue something else. And Thumeka arrived at a time when I was just so desperate to hear from God. And I always say to myself when people criticise your work, don't let it get to your heart, and when they compliment your work, don't let it go to your head, and it always works for me.' Read more | EFF drops gospel artist Betusile Mcinga from 12th anniversary lineup over ANC ties Like many people who are in the public eye, Zenande has had her fair share of harsh criticism from the public. ' The most common misconception about me is that I'm rude, but I'm not. I've learned to grow a thick skin, because if you don't have a thick skin, you'll just deteriorate and you'll end up hanging yourself. Because people sit behind their phones and computer screens, and they say anything and everything about you. You say one little thing, and they blow it out of proportion, and it becomes this whole thing.' 'For as long as I have God by my side, nothing else matters. He's the author and finisher of my story, and no one else but him. I pray a lot about these things, and especially my peace, and I detach myself from anything that'll cost me my peace. I've learned to be very self-aware. If someone does or says something negative, I just block, I don't even reply anymore, because I think my thing in the past was to reply as I felt the need to defend myself, and now, I don't do that anymore.' She says that anyone who is currently facing difficult times should always remember that they can rise again. 'You can rise again. And you will rise again. Nothing can keep you down. If God is not finished with your story, no one else, I mean absolutely no one, can determine your future. Your present, and your future are in God's hands.'
