The Lottery has stopped a grant for the lavishly funded annual SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA brand superimposed in excess of authentic illustration)
From 2019 to 2022 the South African Regular Audio Awards acquired in excess of R16-million within the Lottery.
However the Lottery has withheld payment in the 2023 grant subsequent an investigation.
The NLC has questioned the Exclusive Investigating Unit to probe alleged “double dipping” in many years where funders besides the NLC also chipped in that can help fund the awards.
The size of funding for your once-a-year two evening celebration is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga federal government has funded the awards with around R41-million right after it “was awarded the ideal” to host the SATMA awards for three several years, beginning during the 2020/21 economic 12 months.
This has become in addition to Lottery funding.
The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) is refusing to pay a R1.2-million grant it at first approved for an annual common songs awards ceremony. Precisely the same function also obtained tens of countless rand in the Mpumalanga provincial government.
From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded many grants totalling Nearly R16.four-million towards the Mageza Heritage Basis, the organisers of the yearly South African Traditional Tunes Awards (SATMA).
Nevertheless it halted the payment of the 2023 grant immediately after an internal investigation.
GroundUp has exposed massive corruption while in the NLC that took place until finally the preceding board and administration was changed in 2022. The new NLC Management is seeking to clean up the corruption from the past.
The NLC’s investigation centered on both the 2023 funding and earlier grants awarded to Mageza to phase the awards. The investigation also probed a payment of about R718,000, allegedly compensated from Lottery resources to G4 Brothers, of which Dumisani Gobe, the founding father of the SATMA awards, is actually a director.
Asked if Mageza compensated G4 a licencing or every other costs to phase the awards, Goba said: “G4 was commissioned to accomplish a production of the event and received compensated for anyone expert services, like to manage and produce the main celebration, roadshows, etc. I am the founding father of the SATMA Awards; I'm the a person who have to be compensated for making the strategy based on affordability and what Mageza decides.”
The NLC has handed a file of its investigation to your Distinctive Investigating Device (SIU). It's asked the SIU to research four diverse lottery-funded tasks that been given grants amongst Oct 2020 and should 2023, plus the payment to G4 Brothers.
The NLC has also asked the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in yrs exactly where funders in addition to the NLC also chipped in to help you fund the awards.
This features a grant of R400,000 in the Nationwide Heritage Council and just around R62,000 from “SABC Cell” in 2020 - the exact same economic 12 months in which the function received Nearly R2.6-million in lottery funding and R13.5-million from your Mpumalanga Office of Society, Sporting activities and Recreation (MDCSR).
MDCSR funded the awards to the tune of above R41-million just after it “was awarded the correct” to host the SATMA awards for 3 decades, commencing during the 2020/21 financial calendar year.
The Mpumalanga governing administration’s funding for SATMA around that period of time was substantially higher than grants to almost every other organisation for cultural projects and gatherings.
The MDSCR gave R3.five-million to SATMA while in the 2019/twenty financial yr in advance of ramping up its contribution soon after signing the settlement to host the awards over the next three many years.
The entire price range submitted to your NLC when Mageza used for the disputed 2023 SATMA funding was R1.two-million. But of the, only R500,000 was allotted for the particular staging of the occasion. Other line products inside the funds provided R400,000 for “personnel salaries and benefits”, R200,000 for “stipends” and R100,000 for “journey.”
The awards have been held on fifteen December on the Durban International หวย วัน นี้ Conference Centre. Mageza claims it urgently demands the blocked grant to pay the celebration’s provider providers.
The SATMA awards, which ended up initial held in 2006, are staged over two evenings and it's unclear how the tens of millions in grants with the NLC, MDCSR along with other funders ended up spent.
Desmond Msomi, the chairman of Mageza, did not respond to particular issues from GroundUp, such as the expense of staging a SATMA awards ceremony.
In its place, he said: “Your concerns are mentioned. Nevertheless, we have already been suggested through the NLC that this subject is currently being investigated through the SIU. Consequently, we cannot respond to your thoughts right up until we are recommended that the investigation has become completed and the amount owed has long been paid to Mageza.”
Soon after Mpumalanga “received the right” to host the awards for 3 many years, the then provincial Tradition, Sport and Recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, described it as “a boon” for the province.
“Hosting the SATMA Awards has good financial spinoffs with the Mpumalanga coffers and Additionally, it talks towards the Department’s mandate of endorsing social cohesion.”