The Lottery has stopped a grant for the lavishly funded yearly SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA emblem superimposed about first illustration)

From 2019 to 2022 the South African Regular Audio Awards obtained over R16-million within the Lottery.
Though the Lottery has withheld payment in the 2023 grant following an investigation.
The NLC has requested the Special Investigating Unit to probe alleged “double dipping” in yrs exactly where funders besides the NLC also chipped in to help fund the awards.
The size of funding for that once-a-year two night time party is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga authorities has funded the awards with in excess of R41-million just after it “was awarded the right” to host the SATMA awards for 3 years, commencing during the 2020/21 financial calendar year.
This has long been In combination with Lottery funding.
The Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) is refusing to pay for a R1.2-million grant it in the beginning permitted for an annual common audio awards ceremony. Exactly the same party also obtained tens of many rand through the Mpumalanga provincial government.

From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded numerous grants totalling Pretty much R16.four-million towards the Mageza Heritage Foundation, the organisers on the yearly South African Regular New music Awards (SATMA).

But it halted the payment of a 2023 grant after an internal investigation.

GroundUp has uncovered significant corruption during the NLC that passed off until eventually the past board and management was changed in 2022. The new NLC Management is trying to thoroughly clean up the corruption of your previous.

The NLC’s investigation centered on equally the 2023 funding and earlier grants awarded to Mageza to stage the awards. The investigation also probed a payment of around R718,000, allegedly paid from Lottery cash 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 expenses to phase the awards, Goba stated: “G4 was commissioned to perform a creation of the party and got paid for those providers, like to handle and make the leading celebration, roadshows, and many others. I am the founder of the SATMA Awards; I'm the one particular who have to be compensated for producing the idea based on affordability and what Mageza decides.”

The NLC has handed a file of its investigation towards the Distinctive Investigating Unit (SIU). It's got asked the SIU to research 4 distinct lottery-funded jobs that acquired grants concerning October 2020 and will 2023, as well as the payment to G4 Brothers.

The NLC has also asked the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in yrs where funders apart from the NLC also chipped in to help you fund the awards.

This features a grant of R400,000 with the Nationwide Heritage Council and just about R62,000 from “SABC Cellular” in 2020 - the exact same money 12 months where the function obtained Nearly R2.six-million in lottery funding and R13.5-million in the Mpumalanga Office of Lifestyle, Sports and Recreation (MDCSR).

MDCSR funded the awards into the tune of in excess of R41-million following it “was awarded the ideal” to host the SATMA awards for three decades, beginning while in the 2020/21 financial yr.

The Mpumalanga govt’s funding for SATMA over that time period was considerably better than grants to another organisation for cultural projects and occasions.

The MDSCR gave R3.5-million to SATMA within the 2019/20 financial year before ramping up its contribution following signing the settlement to host the awards around the subsequent three 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 with the celebration. Other line merchandise 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 cat888 Conference Centre. Mageza claims it urgently desires the blocked grant to pay the celebration’s support vendors.

The SATMA awards, which had been to start with held in 2006, are staged more than two nights and it is unclear how the tens of hundreds of thousands in grants within the NLC, MDCSR and also other funders ended up spent.

Desmond Msomi, the chairman of Mageza, did not respond to specific concerns from GroundUp, including the cost of staging a SATMA awards ceremony.

Alternatively, he reported: “Your issues are observed. On the other hand, we are actually encouraged with the NLC that this make a difference is being investigated via the SIU. For this reason, we can not reply to your queries right up until we're recommended which the investigation has become completed and the amount owed has actually been compensated to Mageza.”

Following Mpumalanga “gained the appropriate” 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 constructive economic spinoffs for the Mpumalanga coffers and In addition, it talks for the Department’s mandate of promoting social cohesion.”