The 17th Crown Gospel Awards aren't being postponed, the show must go on

“Everything is going accordingly, we aren't postponing the award ceremony and we urge people not to listen to gossip.”

These are the words of 17th Crown Gospel Awards creative director and head choreographer Siyanda Mwandla after rumours that the awards ceremony was called off because of the death of its founder Zanele Mbokazi-Nkambule last month.

Nominations for Zanele Mbokazi's 17th Crown Gospel Music Awards have  opened. The ceremony is set to take place in Johannesburg later this year at a venue to be announced.

Speaking to TshisaLIVE, Mwandla said their team is trying to finalise a few matters before announcing the venue and where tickets will be sold.

“Yes, the 17th Crown Gospel Awards will be hosted this year and nominations are open. We also have nominations from beyond our borders. The show must go on and we are doing that.”

Before her death, Zanele told TshisaLIVE: “Ingoma emnandi iyaphindwa (A good song gets put on repeat). To us this means victory and perfection. It has not been an easy journey, but it was worth it. We are excited to have come this far. We can only say to God be the glory.

“The audience should expect a warm and exciting experience from Gauteng and a lot of great performances, from the young and old, sticking to our motto of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.”