Lottery blocks payment to lavishly funded new music celebration
Lottery blocks payment to lavishly funded new music celebration
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The Lottery has stopped a grant to the lavishly funded annual SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA brand superimposed over authentic illustration)
From 2019 to 2022 the South African Standard Audio Awards obtained over R16-million within the Lottery.
But the Lottery has withheld payment with the 2023 grant subsequent an investigation.
The NLC has questioned the Particular Investigating Device to probe alleged “double dipping” in a long time where by funders apart from the NLC also chipped in that will help fund the awards.
The scale of funding to the yearly two night time party is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga federal government has funded the awards with about R41-million following it “was awarded the correct” to host the SATMA awards for three several years, starting while in the 2020/21 fiscal 12 months.
This has become Besides Lottery funding.
The Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) is refusing to pay for a R1.2-million grant it initially authorised for an yearly conventional new music awards ceremony. The exact same occasion also been given tens of an incredible number of rand from the Mpumalanga provincial govt.
From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded a number of grants totalling Practically R16.four-million towards the Mageza Heritage Foundation, the organisers on the once-a-year South African Common Music Awards (SATMA).
Nevertheless it halted the payment of a 2023 grant soon after an inside investigation.
GroundUp has exposed enormous corruption inside the NLC that came about right up until the preceding board and management was changed in 2022. The new NLC Management is aiming to clear up the corruption from the earlier.
The NLC’s investigation focused on both the 2023 funding and previously grants awarded to Mageza to stage the awards. The investigation also probed a payment of in excess of R718,000, allegedly paid from Lottery money to G4 Brothers, of which Dumisani Gobe, the founding father of the SATMA awards, is actually a director.
Questioned if Mageza paid G4 a licencing or some other service fees to stage the awards, Goba mentioned: “G4 was commissioned to try and do a production of the occasion and acquired paid out for the people products and services, like to deal with and produce the key occasion, roadshows, and so forth. I am the founding father of the SATMA Awards; I'm the one particular who have to be compensated for producing the notion according to affordability and what Mageza decides.”
The NLC has handed a file of its investigation on the Unique Investigating Device (SIU). It has requested the SIU to investigate 4 different lottery-funded initiatives that obtained grants involving October 2020 and will 2023, as well as the payment to G4 Brothers.
The NLC has also requested the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in decades exactly where funders aside from the NLC also chipped in that will help fund the awards.
This includes a grant of R400,000 in the National Heritage Council and just above R62,000 from “SABC Cellular” in 2020 - precisely the same money 12 months through which the function acquired Virtually R2.6-million in lottery funding and R13.five-million through the Mpumalanga Division of Culture, Sporting activities and Recreation (MDCSR).
MDCSR funded the awards on the tune of more than R41-million after it “was awarded the appropriate” to host the SATMA awards for three yrs, beginning from the 2020/21 monetary 12 months.
The Mpumalanga government’s funding for SATMA above that interval was significantly greater than grants to almost every other organisation for cultural jobs and events.
The MDSCR gave R3.5-million to SATMA within the 2019/20 monetary year just before ramping up its contribution soon after signing the arrangement to host the awards more than the next a few yrs.
The whole price range submitted towards the NLC when Mageza used for that disputed 2023 SATMA funding was R1.2-million. But of the, only R500,000 was allotted for the actual staging of the celebration. Other line products during the funds included R400,000 for “personnel salaries and Gains”, R200,000 for “stipends” and R100,000 for “travel.”
The awards have been held on fifteen December at the Durban Worldwide หวย หุ้น Conference Centre. Mageza says it urgently requires the blocked grant to pay the celebration’s services suppliers.
The SATMA awards, which were 1st held in 2006, are staged around two nights and it truly is unclear how the tens of tens of millions in grants in the NLC, MDCSR and also other funders ended up used.
Desmond Msomi, the chairman of Mageza, didn't reply to distinct issues from GroundUp, such as the price of staging a SATMA awards ceremony.
As an alternative, he explained: “Your queries 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 are not able to reply to your queries until we're recommended which the investigation is concluded and the quantity owed continues to be paid to Mageza.”
Soon after Mpumalanga “gained the ideal” to host the awards for 3 decades, the then provincial Society, Activity and Recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, explained it as “a boon” to the province.
“Internet hosting the SATMA Awards has optimistic economic spinoffs for the Mpumalanga coffers and it also talks to the Office’s mandate of advertising and marketing social cohesion.”