Controversy erupts at klopse finals as mix-up leads to wrong winners being announced

A judging error at the Kaapse Klopse section 1 finals last week sparked controversy after the wrong Carnival Kings were announced at Athlone Stadium.

Judges initially named Baruch Entertainers as the 2026 Carnival Kings, awarding them the coveted Highest Points trophy. However, the announcement was later overturned after it emerged that the incorrect scoring system had been applied.

TV Stars Youth Development from Heideveld, who had secured several first-place trophies, were left stunned when they discovered that they had not initially secured the Highest Points Trophy.

The confusion sparked backlash from supporters and troupes, with many questioning how Baruch Entertainers could be crowned winners despite having fewer first-place finishes. On social media, people called for accountability, directed at both judges and organisers.

One supporter wrote: "This is daylight robbery, and these people must think of the hours of work these teams put into their performances, the months of preparation, and only to come here and for it all to be taken as a joke. This needs to be looked into immediately."

Following an urgent meeting on Monday evening due to the backlash, the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association (KKKA) met with troupe leaders, and it was decided that the points system would be changed to the percentage system.

KKKA said in a statement: “All leaders decided on the 97531 system, which was not clearly communicated to the adjudicators, which resulted in the adjudicators defaulting to the percentage system. This was at no fault of the adjudicators."

While the 97531 system ranks troupes against each other, the percentage system measures how well each troupe performed on its own.

“After the Klopse Leaders have urgently met and deliberated, it has been adopted that the adjudicators will employ gold standards to adjudicate the troupes, and once their placements are determined by their percentage rankings, those placements will be converted into the 97531 system to determine the overall winners," said the statement.

According to the 97531 system, TV Stars ended top of Section 1 with 82 points, followed by BaruchEntertainers and Ashwin Willemse Orient on 61 points each.  

They explained in the statement that they employed professional adjudicators.

“The system was in no way corrupted; rather, it was not the system understood to be utilised for the determination of overall placements. Thus, we confirm that in terms of the percentage system, the results were correct in placing Baruch as the overall winners," the statement read.

Meanwhile, news of the new Carnival Kings of section 1 spread quickly after the announcement.

“Congratulations to TV Stars and to all the troupes of Section 1 for producing performances at the highest level and for their excellent show of sportsmanship," KKKA said in their statement.

The TV Stars announced their win via social media platforms and said they will be taking to the streets on Saturday, February 7, for a victory parade.

KKKA also confirmed that TV Stars will be doing their Klopse Jol item at 5pm at the stadium, parading their Highest Points trophy.

"We are proud of the team and their performance this season. It is unfortunate what happened, but we move on, and we will celebrate being Carnival Kings for 2026," Safia Abdullah, spokesperson for TV Stars, said.

Saturday, February 7, will see some of the big hitters like West London All Stars, Playaz Inc., and Juvie Boys take to the stage to compete for the Section 2 Carnival King prize.

The Section 2 finale feature will feature performances across categories, including Juvenile Combined Chorus, Adult Coon Song, Best Band, and Group Song.

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