WATCH Young Mitchells Plain Singer Needs Back-Up for Famous Boys Choir

A Mitchells Plain family is overjoyed at their 10-year-old son’s acceptance to the Drakensberg Boys Choir School… writes Venecia Valentine from Daily Voice.

Ethan Palagangwe from Eastridge is among 30 other boys selected out of the 1600 applicants who auditioned for a place at the prestigious KwaZulu-Natal school.

But his parents Candice and Kagisho Palagangwe say their jubilation turned to disappointment when they discovered they won’t be able to afford the school fees required.

Candice told the Daily Voice: “We are desperately looking for a scholarship or bursary or any financial assistance to make his dream materialise. Coming from a very disadvantaged community with not many opportunities, we know that Ethan will not only make Mitchells Plain proud but the whole of Cape Town, and yes Cape Town does have potential and a lot of hidden talent, even if our pockets are not that deep.”

Ethan is currently attending Mandalay Primary School in Mitchells Plain where he is in Grade 4.

Kagisho proudly boasts: “Ethan was a top achiever in his first grade and has always been in the top 10 in all his grades.

“He participates in sports and in athletics and won gold medals for his school.

“Ethan went for an audition on 23 September which was advertised in The Plainsman.

“The article was about Drakensberg Boys Choir School that was searching South Africa including in the Cape area, for boys between the ages of nine and 14, with potentially great singing voices to join the world’s best boys’ choir.”

Ethan started singing when he was eight and his mother Candice says he takes after her.

“He’s an amazing singer, he just needs to get out of his shell more,” she says. “At his audition, he sang his favourite Michael Jackson song, Ben.”

Ethan loves singing pop music and even though he’s never sung on a stage before, he has big dreams of performing with the Drakensberg Boys Choir.

“I can’t wait to be part of the choir, I like to be part of group activities, it’s nice to know your contribution can help a group,” says the shy boy.

According to the school’s criteria, in order to become a member of the world-famous school, the boys have to undergo a challenging voice audition.

Then an academic track record is assessed to determine whether the child has the aptitude for a career at the school.

WATCH Ethan singing

This article by Venetia Valentine first appeared on Daily Voice, and is republished with kind permission.