Lottery blocks payment to lavishly funded songs event
Lottery blocks payment to lavishly funded songs event
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The Lottery has stopped a grant into the lavishly funded annual SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA brand superimposed more than initial illustration)
From 2019 to 2022 the South African Standard Music Awards obtained above R16-million with the Lottery.
But the Lottery has withheld payment from the 2023 grant subsequent an investigation.
The NLC has asked the Particular Investigating Unit to probe alleged “double dipping” in a long time exactly where funders in addition to the NLC also chipped in that can help fund the awards.
The size of funding for the annual two evening occasion is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga governing administration has funded the awards with in excess of R41-million right after it “was awarded the right” to host the SATMA awards for three several years, commencing while in the 2020/21 economical yr.
This has long been As well as Lottery funding.
The Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) is refusing to pay for a R1.two-million grant it to begin with authorised for an once-a-year common audio awards ceremony. The exact same occasion also received tens of millions of rand within the Mpumalanga provincial federal government.
From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded numerous grants totalling almost R16.4-million into the Mageza Heritage Foundation, the organisers with the annual South African Standard New music Awards (SATMA).
Nonetheless it halted the payment of the 2023 grant right after an interior investigation.
GroundUp has exposed large corruption within the NLC that passed off until the earlier board and management was replaced in 2022. The new NLC Management is seeking to clean up the corruption from the past.
The NLC’s investigation focused on each the 2023 funding and before grants awarded to Mageza to stage the awards. The investigation also probed a payment of more than R718,000, allegedly compensated from Lottery cash to G4 Brothers, of which Dumisani Gobe, the founder of the SATMA awards, is a director.
Questioned if Mageza paid G4 a licencing or any other service fees to stage the awards, Goba said: “G4 was commissioned to try and do a production of the function and bought paid for people providers, like to control and produce the key celebration, roadshows, etcetera. I'm the founding father of the SATMA Awards; I'm the one who should be compensated for producing the notion determined by affordability and what Mageza decides.”
The NLC has handed a dossier of its investigation for the Particular Investigating Unit (SIU). It's got asked the SIU to analyze four various lottery-funded jobs that gained grants among Oct 2020 and May 2023, as well as the payment to G4 Brothers.
The NLC has also requested the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in many years where funders besides the NLC also chipped in to assist fund the awards.
This includes a grant of R400,000 within the Countrywide Heritage Council and just over R62,000 from “SABC Cellular” in 2020 - the same economic yr wherein the event obtained Virtually R2.6-million in lottery funding and R13.five-million within the Mpumalanga Office of Society, Athletics and Recreation (MDCSR).
MDCSR funded the awards for the tune of more than R41-million following it “was awarded the right” to host the SATMA awards for 3 many years, commencing from the 2020/21 economic year.
The Mpumalanga government’s funding for SATMA around that interval was considerably higher than grants to almost every other organisation for cultural tasks and events.
The MDSCR gave R3.5-million to SATMA in the 2019/20 fiscal year just before ramping up its contribution just after signing the agreement to host the awards in excess of the subsequent 3 several years.
The overall budget submitted towards the NLC when Mageza applied for the disputed 2023 SATMA funding was R1.two-million. But of the, only R500,000 was allocated for the particular staging of your celebration. Other line objects while in the price range incorporated R400,000 for “staff salaries and Gains”, R200,000 for “stipends” and R100,000 for “travel.”
The awards were held on 15 December at the Durban International fox888 Convention Centre. Mageza suggests it urgently wants the blocked grant to pay for the occasion’s assistance providers.
The SATMA awards, which ended up initial held in 2006, are staged in excess of two evenings and it's unclear how the tens of thousands and thousands in grants from the NLC, MDCSR and also other funders were being 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.
Alternatively, he claimed: “Your issues are observed. On the other hand, we are actually recommended from the NLC that this issue is getting investigated through the SIU. Therefore, we can't reply to your concerns right until we're recommended which the investigation has become completed and the amount owed has become compensated to Mageza.”
After Mpumalanga “won the correct” to host the awards for three several years, the then provincial Lifestyle, Sport and Recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, described it as “a boon” for your province.
“Hosting the SATMA Awards has optimistic economic spinoffs for your Mpumalanga coffers and Furthermore, it talks into the Section’s mandate of advertising and marketing social cohesion.”