The Lottery has stopped a grant on the lavishly funded once-a-year SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA symbol superimposed more than authentic illustration)
From 2019 to 2022 the South African Classic Audio Awards acquired about R16-million with the Lottery.
However the Lottery has withheld payment in the 2023 grant following an investigation.
The NLC has questioned the Particular Investigating Device to probe alleged “double dipping” in several years in which funders other than the NLC also chipped in that will help fund the awards.
The size of funding for the yearly two night time function is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga government has funded the awards with about R41-million soon after it “was awarded the best” to host the SATMA awards for 3 many years, starting during the 2020/21 monetary calendar year.
This is Along with Lottery funding.
The Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) is refusing to pay a R1.two-million grant it originally authorized for an annual classic audio awards ceremony. A similar event also been given tens of many rand within the Mpumalanga provincial govt.
From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded numerous grants totalling almost R16.four-million for the Mageza Heritage Basis, the organisers of the annual South African Regular Songs Awards (SATMA).
But it halted the payment of a 2023 grant after an inside investigation.
GroundUp has uncovered significant corruption inside the NLC that took place until finally the earlier board and management was replaced in 2022. The new NLC Management is attempting to thoroughly clean up the corruption from the earlier.
The NLC’s investigation centered on both equally the 2023 funding and previously grants awarded to Mageza to stage the awards. The investigation also probed a payment of more than R718,000, allegedly compensated from Lottery money to G4 Brothers, of which Dumisani Gobe, the founding father of the SATMA awards, is actually a director.
Requested if Mageza compensated G4 a licencing or every other expenses to phase the awards, Goba said: “G4 was commissioned to try and do a creation of the function and bought compensated for all those expert services, like to deal with and produce the key occasion, roadshows, and so forth. I am the founder of the SATMA Awards; I'm the just one who need to be compensated for developing the principle determined by affordability and what Mageza decides.”
The NLC has handed a dossier of its investigation towards the Unique Investigating Device (SIU). It's questioned the SIU to research 4 unique lottery-funded tasks that been given grants involving October 2020 and could 2023, and also the payment to G4 Brothers.
The NLC has also asked the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in decades the place funders aside from the NLC also chipped in to help fund the awards.
This includes a grant of R400,000 within the Nationwide Heritage Council and just around R62,000 from “SABC Mobile” in 2020 - a similar monetary 12 months in which the function acquired Pretty much R2.six-million in lottery funding and R13.5-million from your Mpumalanga Office of Society, Sporting activities and Recreation (MDCSR).
MDCSR funded the awards into the tune of around R41-million just after it “was awarded the appropriate” to host the SATMA awards for 3 yrs, beginning during the 2020/21 fiscal calendar year.
The Mpumalanga federal government’s funding for SATMA more than that period of time was significantly better than grants to every other organisation for cultural initiatives and occasions.
The MDSCR gave R3.five-million to SATMA during the 2019/20 fiscal 12 months just before ramping up its contribution following signing the agreement to host the awards more than the next three years.
The total budget submitted to the NLC when Mageza used for that disputed 2023 SATMA funding was R1.2-million. But of the, only R500,000 was allocated for the actual staging of the occasion. Other line products within the budget involved R400,000 for “personnel salaries and benefits”, R200,000 for “stipends” and R100,000 for “journey.”
The awards were held on 15 December within the Durban Worldwide หวย วัน นี้ Convention Centre. Mageza suggests it urgently desires the blocked grant to pay for the party’s assistance suppliers.
The SATMA awards, which have been first held in 2006, are staged around two nights and it is actually unclear how the tens of thousands and thousands in grants from the NLC, MDCSR and various funders had been put in.
Desmond Msomi, the chairman of Mageza, didn't reply to particular queries from GroundUp, including the cost of staging a SATMA awards ceremony.
Alternatively, he claimed: “Your thoughts are noted. However, we have already been advised by the NLC this subject is staying investigated with the SIU. That's why, we can not reply to your issues right up until we are encouraged that the investigation continues to be done and the amount owed has long been paid to Mageza.”
Just after Mpumalanga “won the best” to host the awards for 3 many years, the then provincial Tradition, Sport and Recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, explained it as “a boon” for that province.
“Web hosting the SATMA Awards has positive financial spinoffs for the Mpumalanga coffers and it also talks towards the Department’s mandate of advertising social cohesion.”