The Lottery has stopped a grant into the lavishly funded annual SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA logo superimposed about primary illustration)
From 2019 to 2022 the South African Conventional Songs Awards obtained over R16-million from the Lottery.
However the Lottery has withheld payment from the 2023 grant following an investigation.
The NLC has questioned the Specific Investigating Unit to probe alleged “double dipping” in many years where by funders aside from the NLC also chipped in to aid fund the awards.
The scale of funding for your once-a-year two night time occasion is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga governing administration has funded the awards with above R41-million just after it “was awarded the right” to host the SATMA awards for 3 decades, commencing from the 2020/21 money 12 months.
This has become Besides Lottery funding.
The National Lotteries Fee (NLC) is refusing to pay a R1.two-million grant it originally authorized for an once-a-year conventional new music awards ceremony. The exact same event also gained tens of countless rand with the Mpumalanga provincial authorities.
From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded many grants totalling almost R16.4-million for the Mageza Heritage Foundation, the organisers on the yearly South African Regular New music Awards (SATMA).
But it halted the payment of the 2023 grant after an interior investigation.
GroundUp has uncovered large corruption while in the NLC that came about right up until the earlier board and administration was replaced in 2022. The brand new NLC Management is attempting to clean up up the corruption on the past.
The NLC’s investigation focused on both the 2023 funding and previously grants awarded to Mageza to phase the awards. The investigation also probed a payment of about R718,000, allegedly paid from Lottery cash to G4 Brothers, of which Dumisani Gobe, the founder of the SATMA awards, is a director.
Requested if Mageza compensated G4 a licencing or some other service fees to stage the awards, Goba explained: “G4 was commissioned to complete a manufacture of the party and bought paid out for those expert services, like to manage and generate the leading celebration, roadshows, and so on. I'm the founding father of the SATMA Awards; I am the just one who has to be compensated for developing the thought based on affordability and what Mageza decides.”
The NLC has handed a file of its investigation to your Exclusive Investigating Unit (SIU). It's got requested the SIU to investigate 4 unique lottery-funded initiatives that gained grants involving Oct 2020 and will 2023, together with the payment to G4 Brothers.
The NLC has also requested the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in many years exactly where funders in addition to the NLC also chipped in to help you fund the awards.
This features a grant of R400,000 from the Nationwide Heritage Council and just around R62,000 from “SABC Mobile” in 2020 - the exact same financial yr where the event received almost R2.six-million in lottery funding and R13.five-million from your Mpumalanga Section of Society, Sports and Recreation (MDCSR).
MDCSR funded the awards towards the tune of above R41-million immediately after it “was awarded the ideal” to host the SATMA awards for 3 several years, beginning in the 2020/21 money 12 months.
The Mpumalanga federal government’s funding for SATMA above that interval was significantly larger than grants to some other organisation for cultural projects and functions.
The MDSCR gave R3.five-million to SATMA in the 2019/20 fiscal 12 months just before ramping up its contribution immediately after signing the agreement to host the awards over the next a few years.
The total budget submitted for the NLC when Mageza applied for the disputed 2023 SATMA funding was R1.two-million. But of the, only R500,000 was allocated for the particular staging with the function. Other line products in the finances provided R400,000 for “staff salaries and Positive aspects”, R200,000 for “stipends” and R100,000 for “vacation.”
The awards have been held on fifteen December with the Durban Intercontinental fox888 Convention Centre. Mageza suggests it urgently demands the blocked grant to pay for the occasion’s company companies.
The SATMA awards, which ended up initial held in 2006, are staged in excess of two evenings and it is unclear how the tens of hundreds of thousands in grants through the NLC, MDCSR and other funders had been invested.
Desmond Msomi, the chairman of Mageza, did not reply to specific questions from GroundUp, such as the price of staging a SATMA awards ceremony.
As a substitute, he claimed: “Your inquiries are famous. Nonetheless, we happen to be encouraged because of the NLC that this make any difference is staying investigated through the SIU. As a result, we are not able to reply to your queries right until we're recommended which the investigation continues to be concluded and the quantity owed has been paid to Mageza.”
Soon after Mpumalanga “received the right” to host the awards for 3 years, the then provincial Culture, Activity and Recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, explained it as “a boon” for that province.
“Internet hosting the SATMA Awards has constructive economic spinoffs for your Mpumalanga coffers and In addition, it talks towards the Department’s mandate of endorsing social cohesion.”