The Lottery has stopped a grant into the lavishly funded once-a-year SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA symbol superimposed over original illustration)
From 2019 to 2022 the South African Standard Songs Awards been given about R16-million from your Lottery.
Nevertheless the Lottery has withheld payment of the 2023 grant adhering to an investigation.
The NLC has questioned the Particular Investigating Device to probe alleged “double dipping” in many years wherever funders other than the NLC also chipped in to help you fund the awards.
The dimensions of funding with the once-a-year two night time event is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga federal government has funded the awards with in excess of 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 is Together with Lottery funding.
The National Lotteries Fee (NLC) is refusing to pay a R1.two-million grant it originally authorized for an once-a-year standard music awards ceremony. A similar occasion also gained tens of numerous rand with the Mpumalanga provincial authorities.
From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded many grants totalling Pretty much R16.four-million towards the Mageza Heritage Foundation, the organisers in the yearly South African Classic Tunes Awards (SATMA).
But it really halted the payment of the 2023 grant just after an interior investigation.
GroundUp has uncovered substantial corruption while in the NLC that occurred until finally the earlier board and administration was replaced in 2022. The brand new NLC leadership is attempting to cleanse up the corruption in the earlier.
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 above R718,000, allegedly compensated from Lottery funds to G4 Brothers, of which Dumisani Gobe, the founder of the SATMA awards, is usually a director.
Asked if Mageza paid G4 a licencing or almost every other fees to stage the awards, Goba explained: “G4 was commissioned to carry out a production of the celebration and got paid out for people expert services, like to handle and develop the primary occasion, roadshows, and so forth. I'm the founder of the SATMA Awards; I am the 1 who should be compensated for creating the concept dependant on affordability and what Mageza decides.”
The NLC has handed a dossier of its investigation to the Special Investigating Device (SIU). It has requested the SIU to investigate four distinctive lottery-funded assignments that been given grants among Oct 2020 and May 2023, together with the payment to G4 Brothers.
The NLC has also questioned the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in a long time where by funders aside from the NLC also chipped in to help 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 - the exact same financial yr during which the function acquired Just about R2.six-million in lottery funding and R13.5-million from the Mpumalanga Division of Tradition, Sports and Recreation (MDCSR).
MDCSR funded the awards towards the tune of over R41-million after it “was awarded the right” to host the SATMA awards for 3 a long time, commencing during the 2020/21 money yr.
The Mpumalanga authorities’s funding for SATMA around that time period was considerably higher than grants to some other organisation for cultural jobs and occasions.
The MDSCR gave R3.5-million to SATMA while in the 2019/20 money 12 months right before ramping up its contribution soon after signing the arrangement to host the awards in excess of the following three decades.
The full finances submitted on the NLC when Mageza applied for that disputed 2023 SATMA funding was R1.2-million. But of the, only R500,000 was allocated for the actual staging of your function. Other line products from the price range bundled R400,000 for “personnel salaries and Positive aspects”, R200,000 for “stipends” and R100,000 for “travel.”
The awards have been held on fifteen December with the Durban Intercontinental เช ค หวย Convention Centre. Mageza claims it urgently wants the blocked grant to pay for the event’s provider vendors.
The SATMA awards, which had been initially held in 2006, are staged over two nights and it truly is unclear how the tens of tens of millions in grants from the NLC, MDCSR and also other funders ended up expended.
Desmond Msomi, the chairman of Mageza, didn't respond to certain queries from GroundUp, including the cost of staging a SATMA awards ceremony.
Instead, he said: “Your thoughts are pointed out. On the other hand, we are suggested from the NLC this make a difference is remaining investigated because of the SIU. Consequently, we cannot respond to your thoughts right up until we've been suggested the investigation continues to be concluded and the quantity owed continues to be paid out to Mageza.”
Immediately after Mpumalanga “received the proper” to host the awards for three many years, the then provincial Culture, Sport and Recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, explained it as “a boon” for that province.
“Internet hosting the SATMA Awards has constructive economic spinoffs for the Mpumalanga coffers and Additionally, it talks to the Office’s mandate of advertising and marketing social cohesion.”