The Lottery has stopped a grant for the lavishly funded yearly SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA emblem superimposed about initial illustration)
From 2019 to 2022 the South African Common New music Awards gained above R16-million in the Lottery.
Nevertheless the Lottery has withheld payment of the 2023 grant pursuing an investigation.
The NLC has asked the Exclusive Investigating Device to probe alleged “double dipping” in a long time where by funders apart from the NLC also chipped in to help you fund the awards.
The dimensions of funding for the annual two night occasion is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga govt has funded the awards with around R41-million following it “was awarded the correct” to host the SATMA awards for three many years, beginning in the 2020/21 economical calendar year.
This has actually been In combination with Lottery funding.
The Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) is refusing to pay a R1.two-million grant it to begin with accepted for an once-a-year classic songs awards ceremony. A similar function also received tens of an incredible number of rand from the Mpumalanga provincial federal government.
From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded quite a few grants totalling Nearly R16.4-million on the Mageza Heritage Basis, the organisers of your once-a-year South African Traditional Music Awards (SATMA).
Nevertheless it halted the payment of a 2023 grant right after an inner investigation.
GroundUp has exposed massive corruption during the NLC that befell right until the past board and management was changed in 2022. The new NLC Management is trying to clean up the corruption of your past.
The NLC’s investigation centered on the two the 2023 funding and before grants awarded to Mageza to stage the awards. The investigation also probed a payment of in excess of R718,000, allegedly compensated from Lottery money to G4 Brothers, of which Dumisani Gobe, the founding father of the SATMA awards, is a director.
Requested if Mageza paid out G4 a licencing or another fees to stage the awards, Goba explained: “G4 was commissioned to carry out a production of the event and received paid for anyone companies, like to control and develop the leading celebration, roadshows, and many others. I am the founding father of the SATMA Awards; I'm the one particular who has to be compensated for making the concept dependant on affordability and what Mageza decides.”
The NLC has handed a dossier of its investigation to the Exclusive Investigating Unit (SIU). It's questioned the SIU to investigate 4 different lottery-funded initiatives that received grants amongst Oct 2020 and May 2023, together with the payment to G4 Brothers.
The NLC has also asked the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in a long time wherever funders in addition to the NLC also chipped in to assist fund the awards.
This includes a grant of R400,000 in the National Heritage Council and just more than R62,000 from “SABC Mobile” in 2020 - exactly the same economic year in which the event been given Just about R2.6-million in lottery funding and R13.five-million through the Mpumalanga Division of Society, Athletics and Recreation (MDCSR).
MDCSR funded the awards towards the tune of around R41-million soon after it “was awarded the proper” to host the SATMA awards for 3 years, starting during the 2020/21 monetary 12 months.
The Mpumalanga governing administration’s funding for SATMA above that period of time was significantly bigger than grants to any other organisation for cultural tasks and functions.
The MDSCR gave R3.5-million to SATMA while in the 2019/20 economic yr just before ramping up its contribution right after signing the agreement to host the awards over another 3 many years.
The total spending plan submitted to your NLC when Mageza applied with the disputed 2023 SATMA funding was R1.2-million. But of the, only R500,000 was allotted for the actual staging of your function. Other line items while in the budget provided R400,000 for “staff salaries and Advantages”, R200,000 for “stipends” and R100,000 for “journey.”
The awards ended up held on fifteen December at the Durban Worldwide หวย ออก Convention Centre. Mageza claims it urgently requirements the blocked grant to pay for the event’s provider providers.
The SATMA awards, which had been initially held in 2006, are staged more than two nights and it truly is unclear how the tens of tens of millions in grants from the NLC, MDCSR along with other funders ended up expended.
Desmond Msomi, the chairman of Mageza, did not respond to certain queries from GroundUp, including the expense of staging a SATMA awards ceremony.
Instead, he stated: “Your thoughts are noted. Even so, we have been advised by the NLC this make any difference is staying investigated because of the SIU. That's why, we can not reply to your thoughts until eventually we are recommended which the investigation has actually been finished and the quantity owed continues to be compensated to Mageza.”
Following Mpumalanga “gained the proper” to host the awards for three yrs, the then provincial Culture, Sport and Recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, described it as “a boon” for your province.
“Hosting the SATMA Awards has optimistic economic spinoffs for your Mpumalanga coffers and In addition it talks into the Office’s mandate of endorsing social cohesion.”