Gospel Artist Ndumiso Zungu Withdraws from Best Song Category at 2026 Icebolethu Crown Gospel Music Awards Over Voting Glitches
Gospel sensation Ndumiso Zungu, the 12-year-old son of acclaimed musician Thinah Zungu, has officially withdrawn from the Best Song category at the upcoming 19th Icebolethu Crown Gospel Music Awards.
In an official press statement shared on Facebook by his father, Thinah Zungu, the young artist’s management cited unresolved technical failures with his SMS voting code as the reason for stepping back from the race.
The ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 15, 2026, at the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC).
In the post accompanying the press release, Thinah Zungu wrote in a mix of isiZulu and English:
” We are asking to withdraw from the Song of the Year race, please stop voting now. I will be back at 5 pm—I’ll be live to explain more. Thank you.”
According to the statement, Ndumiso’s camp decided to pull his hit track “Songena Ngemithandazo” from the Best Song category after fans were repeatedly unable to cast their votes.
Management highlighted several key issues:
- Non-Functional Voting Code: While organizers allocate a limited number of votes per mobile number, Zungu’s team stated that his SMS voting code was completely non-functional, preventing supporters from participating.
- Delayed Response: Management noted that they brought the technical glitches to the attention of the Crown Gospel Music Awards organizers earlier, but the matter was only addressed this week when it was already too late to fix the impact on the tally.
- Compromised Fairness: Because the Best Song category is decided strictly by public votes rather than radio airplay or streaming figures, his team concluded that the systemic failure undermined the integrity of the competition.
Despite exiting the Best Song race, Ndumiso remains a contender at this year’s ceremony.
His management clarified that the withdrawal applies exclusively to the Best Song category, and he is still officially nominated in the Best Itende category for “Songena Ngemithandazo”.
Thinah and Ndumiso’s team thanked fans for their loyalty and ongoing support throughout the campaign.
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