The Lottery has stopped a grant to your lavishly funded annual SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA brand superimposed more than first illustration)
From 2019 to 2022 the South African Classic Music Awards acquired about R16-million from the Lottery.
But the Lottery has withheld payment in the 2023 grant next an investigation.
The NLC has questioned the Unique Investigating Unit to probe alleged “double dipping” in many years exactly where funders apart from the NLC also chipped in to assist fund the awards.
The dimensions of funding with the once-a-year two night party is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga governing administration has funded the awards with above R41-million soon after it “was awarded the proper” to host the SATMA awards for three a long time, beginning inside the 2020/21 money 12 months.
This has long been Along with Lottery funding.
The National Lotteries Fee (NLC) is refusing to pay for a R1.two-million grant it to begin with authorised for an yearly classic audio awards ceremony. Precisely the same occasion also been given tens of an incredible number of rand from your Mpumalanga provincial authorities.
From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded quite a few grants totalling Practically R16.four-million to your Mageza Heritage Basis, the organisers in the yearly South African Traditional Songs Awards (SATMA).
But it surely halted the payment of the 2023 grant right after an inside investigation.
GroundUp has uncovered significant corruption while in the NLC that befell until finally the earlier board and administration was replaced in 2022. The new NLC Management is seeking to clean up up the corruption with the previous.
The NLC’s investigation focused on each the 2023 funding and earlier grants awarded to Mageza to phase the awards. The investigation also probed a payment of over R718,000, allegedly compensated from Lottery money to G4 Brothers, of which Dumisani Gobe, the founding father of the SATMA awards, is really a director.
Questioned if Mageza paid G4 a licencing or any other expenses to phase the awards, Goba explained: “G4 was commissioned to perform a creation of the function and obtained compensated for all those services, like to control and develop the key party, roadshows, and so on. I am the founder of the SATMA Awards; I am the one particular who must be compensated for creating the notion based upon affordability and what Mageza decides.”
The NLC has handed a dossier of its investigation for the Unique Investigating Device (SIU). It's asked the SIU to analyze four various lottery-funded projects that gained grants amongst Oct 2020 and will 2023, in addition to the payment to G4 Brothers.
The NLC has also questioned the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in a long time where by funders besides the NLC also chipped in to assist fund the awards.
This includes a grant of R400,000 within the National Heritage Council and just in excess of R62,000 from “SABC Cellular” in 2020 - exactly the same money calendar year during which the celebration been given Nearly R2.6-million in lottery funding and R13.five-million from the Mpumalanga Department of Society, Sporting activities and Recreation (MDCSR).
MDCSR funded the awards to your tune of about R41-million just after it “was awarded the ideal” to host the SATMA awards for three a long time, commencing while in the 2020/21 financial 12 months.
The Mpumalanga authorities’s funding for SATMA around that period of time was significantly increased than grants to any other organisation for cultural initiatives and occasions.
The MDSCR gave R3.five-million to SATMA in the 2019/20 money calendar year just before ramping up its contribution immediately after signing the settlement to host the awards over the next three several years.
The full spending plan submitted into the NLC when Mageza used for that disputed 2023 SATMA funding was R1.2-million. But of this, only R500,000 was allotted for the actual staging on the occasion. Other line items during the finances provided R400,000 for “personnel salaries and Gains”, R200,000 for “stipends” and R100,000 for “journey.”
The awards were held on fifteen December at the Durban Intercontinental ตัว หวย Conference Centre. Mageza claims it urgently wants the blocked grant to pay for the occasion’s company companies.
The SATMA awards, which ended up initial held in 2006, are staged about two evenings and it's unclear how the tens of thousands and thousands in grants from the NLC, MDCSR and various funders were invested.
Desmond Msomi, the chairman of Mageza, did not respond to particular queries from GroundUp, including the cost of staging a SATMA awards ceremony.
Rather, he stated: “Your concerns are mentioned. Nevertheless, we happen to be encouraged because of the NLC that this make any difference is currently being investigated through the SIU. Hence, we simply cannot respond to your issues until finally we have been advised the investigation continues to be concluded and the quantity owed continues to be paid out to Mageza.”
After Mpumalanga “won the best” to host the awards for 3 decades, the then provincial Culture, Activity and Recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, explained it as “a boon” for the province.
“Hosting the SATMA Awards has positive financial spinoffs with the Mpumalanga coffers and In addition it talks into the Office’s mandate of advertising and marketing social cohesion.”