After spending weeks upon weeks in the “Love Island SA” villa searching for love, it was favourites Thimna and Libho who were crowned winners on Sunday night.
Viewers have suffered through bad editing, lack of diversity and “Friend Island”, watching the show growing from strength to strength, to make it to the finale.
Favourites were dumped and some relationships were turned upside down along the way but in the end viewers fell in love with numerous couples who went on to make it to the final four.
In Sunday night’s finale of M-Net’s popular reality dating series Thimna Shooto and Libhongo-Lethu “Libho” Geza - or better known as “Limna” - became the winners of the very first season of the show.
The Eastern Cape based couple garnered the most viewer votes with over 53% in vote share, from a total of over 1.6 million votes received in the finale round.
As part of their win, they takes home the whopping R1 million cash prize, which the couple opted to split.
In second place from the remaining final couples are Millie Terblanche and Asad Boomgaard with over 30% in vote share, followed by Mischka Najar and Xavier Haupt with over 12% and finally Ross Marshall and Tania Kera in fourth place with just over 2% in vote share.
When had they just won, Libho said: “I had already won when I picked her, this is just the icing on the cake.”
He added: “I feel great, to be honest, it hasn't sunk in yet. But my biggest prize is being able to call Thimna my girlfriend, so everything else feels like the icing on the cake.”
Thimna said: “I am so grateful to everyone who voted for Libho and I. My experience has been such an eye-opener. I realised so many things – good and bad – and I am so grateful for the lessons.”
After being announced as the winners, host Leandie du Randt asked both Libho and Thimna to select an envelope – which would reveal who gets the R1 million – and ultimately, if they would choose money or love.
Libho ended up with the envelope containing the prize money and opted to share his winnings with Thimna and to pursue real love.
“I am here for love and chose to split the money with her. I have no regrets because I ended up with the love of my life so I wouldn't change a thing,” the student-athlete and freelance model said.
While the Islanders’ pursuit for love in the villa is now over, viewers can still watch the show on DStv Catch-Up until 10 May 2021.