Three young Durban competitors will join nine finalists from Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town to determine which of them has what it takes to be the winner of the nationwide Shield Teens No Sweat Music Fan Challenge.

Shield Teens is offering girls aged between 12 and 18 the chance to learn everything they need to know to become a top Video Jockey. The top three will receive bursaries valued at R50 000, R30 000 and R20 000 to take them further in the VJ industry, and a grand finale will be held in Johannesburg during December to announce the winner. In addition, there are some wonderful prizes up for grabs and as a finalist they immediately qualify for a Samsung state of the art camcorder, which they will use during the workshop phase of the competition.

Siphumelele Mbongwe, Banele Msimango and Sholene Ramdass auditioned in Durban recently, entertained their way into the judges’ hearts and won themselves slots in the VJ workshops that will determine the winner of the competition. The girls made their TV debut on the Shield Teens No Sweat Music Fan Challenge series on Sunday 4 October, when they were introduced as KwaZulu-Natal’s finalists.

Siphumelele Mbongwe lives in Amanzimtoti and attends Eden College where she’s in Grade 11. The 17-year-old finalist says her favourite song of the moment is Ego by Beyonce. Siphumelele plans on studying media and communications when she leaves school, and wants to become a media personality.

Banele Msimango lives in Montclair, Durban and attends Mowat Park High School. This 16-year-old Grade 11 learner plans on becoming an information technologist and TV personality after school and is currently mad about Jay-Z’s Death of Autotune.

Sholene Ramdass is a 15-year-old learner at Northlands Girls’ High School who comes from Phoenix. The Grade 10 student says she hopes to make her mark on the entertainment industry when she leaves school. “I’d love to be an actress and a writer,” she smiles. Sholene’s favourite song is Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer.

Judges Lupi Ngcayisa, Shaun Pearce and Vusiwe Ngcobo were extremely impressed with the third group of finalists. Lupi Ngcayisa says he was convinced the KwaZulu-Natal entrants would deliver quality performances. “I am confident that all the girls who made it to the top 12 will be gracing our television screens in the future,” he says.

Celebrating the launch of Shield Teens Musicfan – the new variant with a great perfume in a stunning turquoise and silver can – The Shield Teens No Sweat Music Fan Search offers 12 finalists the opportunity to workshop with the best of the best in the industry to increase their confidence levels and learn everything they need to know about being a VJ. They’ll learn how to look the part, how to have the confidence and style to carry off being a VJ, how to link from one video to the next, and how to inject gossip as well as insider information into the role. They’ll also get to know people in the industry, meet role models and generally learn from those who are already successful.

The competition is televised on Sundays at 18h05 on e.tv and the winner will be announced on Sunday 6 December.

Ethne Whitley, spokesperson for Shield Teens, says the Shield Teens No Sweat Music Fan Search is the latest in a string of opportunities the brand presents to young girls with the aim of helping them to develop self-confidence and achieve their potential.

“Music is the soundtrack of their lives and Shield Teens is offering talented teenage girls the opportunity of a lifetime,” she says. “The brand is searching for girls who have what it takes to become South Africa’s best VJs.”

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