South African gospel artist Ntokozo Ngongoma claims that his career has been adversely affected after he publicly supported anti-illegal immigration marches associated with the March and March Movement. Ngongoma made these assertions on his official Facebook account on Monday, 29 June 2026, just hours prior to a nationwide shutdown organized by the movement on 30 June 2026.
He stated that he was removed from the 2026 CLIMA Africa Awards, which are set to occur in Lagos, Nigeria, in October 2026, where he had received a nomination for South African Artist of the Year. He alleged that his removal was a direct result of his public support for the upcoming marches. Additionally, he mentioned that he had requested to be withdrawn from the nomination after realizing that the organizers did not share his values.
In a statement on Facebook, he reiterated that the issue represented a divergence in beliefs, asserting that no external forces could sway his principles. The post included the following commentary:
“I was removed from these Nigerian Awards happening later this year in Lagos because of the post I made about supporting March and March. I literally asked them to remove me because I realised we are not in sync with the truth and reality of what is actually happening, and they are so committed to misunderstanding us. No one in this world is wealthy or strong enough to control my belief and what I stand for… ALUTA CONTINUA💪🏾”
In his post, Ngongoma included screenshots of both his original supportive post and a comment from the awards organizers that criticized his views. See the post below:
As of this moment, the CLIMA Awards organizers had not publicly addressed the allegations. Briefly News has reached out to them for comment and will update the article should a response be received.
Peeps react after musician gets removed from Nigerian awards
Ngongoma’s post incited a range of comments online.
Here are some responses:
Alex Mdakane humorously remarked:
“The only gospel I’ve ever listened to was Chinese gospel music. You have a brave new fan in me.”
Tumi Nyembe expressed support:
“I am proud of you, bhuti. Standing for what you believe in even if it costs you, now that’s loyalty! God knows we’re not xenophobic 🙏”
Brenda A Bennu offered a caution:
“To succeed and make money, you need the support of the whole African continent. People may cheer you today, but tomorrow you will still need Africa. Those telling you that you are always right have nothing to lose. Think beyond today, learn from the bigger picture, or risk being left behind.”
