The Lottery has stopped a grant for the lavishly funded once-a-year SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA emblem superimposed above original illustration)

From 2019 to 2022 the South African Classic New music Awards obtained around R16-million from your Lottery.
Although the Lottery has withheld payment with the 2023 grant pursuing an investigation.
The NLC has requested the Particular Investigating Unit to probe alleged “double dipping” in decades where by funders besides the NLC also chipped in that can help fund the awards.
The size of funding for your annual two evening function is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga federal government has funded the awards with in excess of R41-million following it “was awarded the proper” to host the SATMA awards for 3 many years, starting during the 2020/21 money calendar year.
This continues to be Besides Lottery funding.
The Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) is refusing to pay a R1.two-million grant it in the beginning authorised for an once-a-year common new music awards ceremony. A similar event also been given tens of many rand within the Mpumalanga provincial government.

From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded quite a few grants totalling Just about R16.four-million on the Mageza Heritage Basis, the organisers with the once-a-year South African Conventional Songs Awards (SATMA).

However it halted the payment of a 2023 grant following an inside investigation.

GroundUp has exposed large corruption in the NLC that happened until finally the preceding board and management was replaced in 2022. The brand new NLC Management is aiming to thoroughly clean up the corruption in the earlier.

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 over R718,000, allegedly paid out from Lottery funds to G4 Brothers, of which Dumisani Gobe, the founder of the SATMA awards, is really a director.

Requested if Mageza paid G4 a licencing or some other service fees to stage the awards, Goba explained: “G4 was commissioned to do a production of the function and bought compensated for those companies, like to control and develop the main event, roadshows, and so on. I'm the founding father of the SATMA Awards; I am the a single who has to be compensated for generating the principle dependant on affordability and what Mageza decides.”

The NLC has handed a file of its investigation for the Unique Investigating Device (SIU). It's questioned the SIU to research four unique lottery-funded tasks that been given grants amongst Oct 2020 and May 2023, as well as the payment to G4 Brothers.

The NLC has also requested the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in decades in which funders other than the NLC also chipped in to aid fund the awards.

This features a grant of R400,000 in the National Heritage Council and just in excess of R62,000 from “SABC Cellular” in 2020 - the same monetary year by which the occasion acquired Practically R2.six-million in lottery funding and R13.5-million in the Mpumalanga Department of Society, Athletics and Recreation (MDCSR).

MDCSR funded the awards for the tune of more than R41-million after it “was awarded the ideal” to host the SATMA awards for three decades, starting in the 2020/21 fiscal year.

The Mpumalanga federal government’s funding for SATMA around that period was substantially increased than grants to another organisation for cultural tasks and functions.

The MDSCR gave R3.5-million to SATMA from the 2019/twenty money calendar year prior to ramping up its contribution following signing the agreement to host the awards over another 3 several years.

The whole price range submitted to the NLC when Mageza used to the disputed 2023 SATMA funding was R1.two-million. But of this, only R500,000 was allotted for the actual staging of your function. Other line products during the funds included R400,000 for “personnel salaries and Gains”, R200,000 for “stipends” and R100,000 for “travel.”

The awards ended up held on fifteen December with the Durban Intercontinental หวย ลาว ล่าสุด Conference Centre. Mageza states it urgently requirements the blocked grant to pay for the event’s assistance providers.

The SATMA awards, which ended up initial held in 2006, are staged in excess of two evenings and it's unclear how the tens of thousands and thousands in grants within the NLC, MDCSR as well as other funders have been expended.

Desmond Msomi, the chairman of Mageza, didn't reply to precise thoughts from GroundUp, such as the price of staging a SATMA awards ceremony.

As a substitute, he claimed: “Your issues are famous. Even so, we are already advised via the NLC this make a difference is being investigated because of the SIU. As a result, we can't reply to your questions until eventually we are suggested which the investigation continues to be accomplished and the quantity owed has been paid to Mageza.”

Soon after Mpumalanga “received the right” to host the awards for three many years, the then provincial Culture, Activity and Recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, explained it as “a boon” with the province.

“Web hosting the SATMA Awards has favourable financial spinoffs to the Mpumalanga coffers and What's more, it talks on the Division’s mandate of marketing social cohesion.”