The Lottery has stopped a grant to the lavishly funded once-a-year SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA logo superimposed more than authentic illustration)
From 2019 to 2022 the South African Standard Music Awards been given about R16-million through the Lottery.
Although the Lottery has withheld payment in the 2023 grant next an investigation.
The NLC has asked the Exclusive Investigating Unit to probe alleged “double dipping” in several years where funders aside from the NLC also chipped in that will help fund the awards.
The scale of funding for your yearly two evening function is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga government has funded the awards with over R41-million right after it “was awarded the best” to host the SATMA awards for three a long time, beginning in the 2020/21 financial 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 annual regular songs awards ceremony. The same function also received tens of an incredible number of rand from the Mpumalanga provincial govt.
From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded several grants totalling Virtually R16.four-million into 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 in the NLC that took place until the former board and administration was replaced in 2022. The brand new NLC leadership is seeking to clear up the corruption of the previous.
The NLC’s investigation focused on both equally the 2023 funding and earlier grants awarded to Mageza to phase the awards. The investigation also probed a payment of over R718,000, allegedly paid out from Lottery cash to G4 Brothers, of which Dumisani Gobe, the founder of the SATMA awards, can be a director.
Questioned if Mageza compensated G4 a licencing or every other expenses to phase the awards, Goba said: “G4 was commissioned to accomplish a manufacture of the function and obtained compensated for the people services, like to deal with and produce the main event, roadshows, etc. I'm the founder of the SATMA Awards; I'm the just one who need to be compensated for generating the idea based on affordability and what Mageza decides.”
The NLC has handed a file of its investigation towards the Distinctive Investigating Unit (SIU). It's got asked the SIU to research 4 various lottery-funded initiatives that received grants among Oct 2020 and could 2023, plus the payment to G4 Brothers.
The NLC has also questioned the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in years in which funders besides the NLC also chipped in that will help fund the awards.
This features a grant of R400,000 within the Countrywide Heritage Council and just around R62,000 from “SABC Cell” in 2020 - the same financial calendar year where the celebration acquired Nearly R2.six-million in lottery funding and R13.5-million in the Mpumalanga Office of Tradition, Sports and Recreation (MDCSR).
MDCSR funded the awards to your tune of above R41-million after it “was awarded the correct” to host the SATMA awards for three several years, beginning in the 2020/21 economical 12 months.
The Mpumalanga govt’s funding for SATMA in excess of that period was considerably bigger than grants to some other organisation for cultural projects and occasions.
The MDSCR gave R3.five-million to SATMA while in the 2019/twenty monetary yr before ramping up its contribution soon after signing the arrangement to host the awards around the subsequent 3 yrs.
The whole funds submitted for the NLC when Mageza applied with the disputed 2023 SATMA funding was R1.two-million. But of the, only R500,000 was allocated for the particular staging in the function. Other line items during the funds incorporated R400,000 for “staff salaries and Rewards”, R200,000 for “stipends” and R100,000 for “vacation.”
The awards were held on 15 December for the Durban International เช ค หวย Convention Centre. Mageza claims it urgently demands the blocked grant to pay for the function’s services suppliers.
The SATMA awards, which were 1st held in 2006, are staged over two nights and it truly is unclear how the tens of tens of millions in grants in the NLC, MDCSR together with other funders were invested.
Desmond Msomi, the chairman of Mageza, did not reply to unique questions from GroundUp, such as the expense of staging a SATMA awards ceremony.
In its place, he reported: “Your issues are observed. Even so, we are already advised via the NLC that this matter is remaining investigated with the SIU. Therefore, we simply cannot respond to your inquiries until we have been encouraged that the investigation is concluded and the quantity owed has been paid to Mageza.”
Right after Mpumalanga “gained the appropriate” to host the awards for 3 yrs, the then provincial Society, Activity and Recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, described it as “a boon” for your province.
“Hosting the SATMA Awards has positive financial spinoffs for that Mpumalanga coffers and What's more, it talks to your Division’s mandate of advertising social cohesion.”