The Lottery has stopped a grant towards the lavishly funded yearly SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA symbol superimposed above initial illustration)

From 2019 to 2022 the South African Regular Songs Awards gained over R16-million from your Lottery.
Though the Lottery has withheld payment of your 2023 grant following an investigation.
The NLC has asked the Particular Investigating Unit to probe alleged “double dipping” in a long time in which funders besides the NLC also chipped in that can help fund the awards.
The scale of funding for your annual two evening event is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga government has funded the awards with about R41-million immediately after it “was awarded the correct” to host the SATMA awards for 3 several years, beginning from the 2020/21 monetary yr.
This has long been Besides Lottery funding.
The Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) is refusing to pay for a R1.two-million grant it originally approved for an once-a-year standard audio awards ceremony. Precisely the same function also obtained tens of countless rand through the Mpumalanga provincial federal government.

From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded many grants totalling Nearly R16.four-million on the Mageza Heritage Basis, the organisers in the yearly South African Traditional Tunes Awards (SATMA).

Nevertheless it halted the payment of the 2023 grant soon after an interior investigation.

GroundUp has exposed large corruption within the NLC that occurred until eventually the prior board and management was replaced in 2022. The new NLC Management is aiming to thoroughly clean up the corruption on the previous.

The NLC’s investigation focused on equally the 2023 funding and earlier grants awarded to Mageza to phase the awards. The investigation also probed a payment of about R718,000, allegedly paid out from Lottery resources to G4 Brothers, of which Dumisani Gobe, the founder of the SATMA awards, is actually a director.

Questioned if Mageza paid G4 a licencing or another costs to phase the awards, Goba said: “G4 was commissioned to try and do a production of the celebration and acquired paid out for anyone companies, like to deal with and create the leading party, roadshows, and so on. I am the founder of the SATMA Awards; I am the 1 who need to be compensated for making the principle dependant on affordability and what Mageza decides.”

The NLC has handed a file of its investigation towards the Specific Investigating Unit (SIU). It has questioned the SIU to analyze four various lottery-funded projects that been given grants involving October 2020 and could 2023, and also the payment to G4 Brothers.

The NLC has also questioned the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in a long time where funders in addition to the NLC also chipped in that can help fund the awards.

This includes a grant of R400,000 with the National Heritage Council and just about R62,000 from “SABC Mobile” in 2020 - the exact same economic calendar year during which the event gained Nearly R2.6-million in lottery funding and R13.5-million from your Mpumalanga Section of Lifestyle, Athletics and Recreation (MDCSR).

MDCSR funded the awards towards the tune of above R41-million just after it “was awarded the proper” to host the SATMA awards for three years, commencing from the 2020/21 money yr.

The Mpumalanga authorities’s funding for SATMA above that period was considerably bigger than grants to some other organisation for cultural tasks and activities.

The MDSCR gave R3.five-million to SATMA in the 2019/20 money calendar year just before ramping up its contribution after signing the agreement to host the awards in excess of the subsequent a few decades.

The total price range submitted on the NLC when Mageza utilized to the disputed 2023 SATMA funding was R1.2-million. But of the, only R500,000 was allotted for the particular staging in the celebration. Other line things inside the finances involved R400,000 for “personnel salaries and Gains”, R200,000 for “stipends” and R100,000 for “journey.”

The awards were held on fifteen December on the Durban Intercontinental ตรวจ สลากกินแบ่ง รัฐบาล Convention Centre. Mageza claims it urgently demands the blocked grant to pay the celebration’s provider providers.

The SATMA awards, which were being 1st held in 2006, are staged above two evenings and it really is unclear how the tens of millions in grants through the NLC, MDCSR and other funders had been put in.

Desmond Msomi, the chairman of Mageza, didn't reply to specific queries from GroundUp, including the cost of staging a SATMA awards ceremony.

In its place, he said: “Your concerns are famous. On the other hand, we have been encouraged via the NLC this make any difference is remaining investigated via the SIU. Hence, we cannot respond to your concerns till we've been suggested which the investigation has become completed and the amount owed has been paid out to Mageza.”

Immediately after Mpumalanga “won the ideal” to host the awards for 3 a long time, the then provincial Lifestyle, Activity and Recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, explained it as “a boon” with the province.

“Web hosting the SATMA Awards has good economic spinoffs for your Mpumalanga coffers and In addition it talks towards the Division’s mandate of selling social cohesion.”