The top 17 and Proverb opened the show by singing an energetic and soulful rendition of Aretha Franklin’s "Respect". Reminding everyone to show each other respect. The female contestants also wore shirts with the words "Am I Next" while the male contestants had "Respect Women" on theirs. The shirts were an ode to the current campaigns against femicide in South Africa. Shirley Adonisi, acting head of local content for Mzansi Magic said that it was the channels responsibility to mimic society so having the contestants wear the shirts was a no brainier. The performance was followed by a guest performance by multiple Grammy Award winning group Ladysmith Black Mambazo alongside "Idols" judge Unathi who performed her hit, "Hallo Sana". The contestants from Group One put the State Theatre in singing mode with their performance of "Giant" by Calvin and Rag & Bone Man. Later on in the show, Group Two got the audience on their

Multiple-award winning gospel star Hlengiwe Mhlaba is recovering in hospital following a car accident on Saturday. Mhlaba reportedly sustained serious injuries and was admitted to a hospital in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal. The gospel sensation was travelling to a show in Mpumalanga when the accident happened in Melmoth, a small town in KwaZulu-Natal. Family spokesman Nkululeko Khanyi said the singer was trying to avoid an oncoming car, when she lost control of her car and it rolled. “She tried to avoid the car and her Mercedes-Benz went up the mountain and rolled,” Khanyi told Daily Sun. “We ask the nation to continue to pray for her speedy recovery as well,” added Khanyi. Fans of the star took to different social media platforms, to wish Mhlaba well.

Following rape allegations made on Twitter, DJ Speedsta released a statement denying the claims made against him on Sunday. Gender-based violence, femicide & rape culture have dominated news headlines and national discourse this past week. This saw lists popping up on Twitter where sexual assault victims anonymously shared their stories including the names of their alleged rapists and sexual assault offenders. In a thread posted by @AmINext_SA account, the "Mayo" producer was named with the story from the victim on Thursday. Taking to Twitter DJ Speedsta released a statement regarding the rape allegation against him. In the statement he "vehemently" denies the allegations made against him. He said that he grew up around women that he loves and respects them. He added that he would never think about "forcing himself on to another woman". DJ Speedsta also mentions that he has "female friends" he has known his entire life and who trust him

Local rapper Da L.E.S, real name Leslie Jonathan Mampe Jr, has denied rape allegations made against him. Following the uproar from South Africans about gender-based violence and femicide, Twitter accounts have spawned where rape and sexual assault victims can anonymously expose alleged rapists and sexual predators. In one of the lists, the "Lifestyle" rapper was mentioned and on Wednesday he broke his silence denying the rape allegations made against him. In a series of Tweets, Da L.E.S started by mentioning that when he saw his name it was one of the worst days of his life and he was unable to respond since it came from an anonymous source with no specifics.