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JOHANNESBURG- Idols SA winner Zama Khumalo wanted to quit many times in the competition, but she kept going all because of her family’s support.

The 19-year-old singer from Emalahleni told Sowetan that when she reached the top six, the pressure of the competition combined with social media bullying became overwhelming.

Khumalo said the weeks that followed she was praying to be booted off, but her family and supporters helped her regain her focus. Her self esteem was so low that she didn’t think she could win until she reached the top two.

“There were many weeks that I wanted to give up, especially for consecutive weeks starting from the top six. My family would call me every day to encourage me to just keep going,” Khumalo said

“The only thing that kept me going was that I was doing it for them. I was just so tired and the pressure was too much. There was a lot of hate on social media. I was even telling God that I don’t want to do this anymore. But my supporters on social media were very helpful and I didn’t want to disappoint them.”

One of six children, this marked Khumalo’s first time away from her family after matriculating last year. Her mother Buyisile works as an assistant at their local crèche, while her father Isaac is a part-time worker.- SOWETAN