Lottery blocks payment to lavishly funded tunes celebration
Lottery blocks payment to lavishly funded tunes celebration
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The Lottery has stopped a grant to the lavishly funded annual SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA emblem superimposed about original illustration)
From 2019 to 2022 the South African Standard Songs Awards obtained more than R16-million from the Lottery.
However the Lottery has withheld payment of the 2023 grant pursuing an investigation.
The NLC has asked the Exclusive Investigating Unit to probe alleged “double dipping” in yrs exactly where funders besides the NLC also chipped in to assist fund the awards.
The size of funding for that once-a-year two night occasion is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga govt has funded the awards with around R41-million following it “was awarded the correct” to host the SATMA awards for three a long time, beginning within the 2020/21 economic yr.
This continues to be As well as Lottery funding.
The National Lotteries Fee (NLC) is refusing to pay a R1.two-million grant it originally authorized for an once-a-year classic songs awards ceremony. The same function also received tens of a lot of rand in the Mpumalanga provincial governing administration.
From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded a number of grants totalling Just about R16.four-million towards the Mageza Heritage Foundation, the organisers on the yearly South African Regular New music Awards (SATMA).
However it halted the payment of a 2023 grant right after an inner investigation.
GroundUp has exposed huge corruption within the NLC that happened till the prior board and administration was replaced in 2022. The new NLC Management is trying to clean up the corruption with the past.
The NLC’s investigation centered on the two the 2023 funding and before grants awarded to Mageza to stage the awards. The investigation also probed a payment of around R718,000, allegedly paid out from Lottery resources to G4 Brothers, of which Dumisani Gobe, the founder of the SATMA awards, is often a director.
Asked if Mageza paid G4 a licencing or almost every other fees to stage the awards, Goba explained: “G4 was commissioned to do a production of the function and obtained paid out for people services, like to manage and create the principle function, 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 idea according to affordability and what Mageza decides.”
The NLC has handed a file of its investigation for the Special Investigating Device (SIU). It has requested the SIU to analyze four unique lottery-funded assignments that been given grants among Oct 2020 and May 2023, together with the payment to G4 Brothers.
The NLC has also asked the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in a long time wherever funders other than the NLC also chipped in to aid fund the awards.
This includes a grant of R400,000 from your Nationwide Heritage Council and just about R62,000 from “SABC Cellular” in 2020 - the exact same economical calendar year where the celebration gained Practically R2.6-million in lottery funding and R13.five-million through the Mpumalanga Division of Society, Athletics and Recreation (MDCSR).
MDCSR funded the awards for the tune of over R41-million immediately after it “was awarded the correct” to host the SATMA awards for 3 many years, starting within the 2020/21 fiscal year.
The Mpumalanga govt’s funding for SATMA over that time period was significantly greater than grants to almost every other organisation for cultural jobs and occasions.
The MDSCR gave R3.5-million to SATMA inside the 2019/20 monetary year prior to ramping up its contribution following signing the agreement to host the awards around another 3 a long time.
The total budget submitted to your NLC when Mageza utilized for the disputed 2023 SATMA funding was R1.2-million. But of the, only R500,000 was allocated for the particular staging from the party. Other line things in the funds included R400,000 for “personnel salaries and Added benefits”, R200,000 for “stipends” and R100,000 for “travel.”
The awards had been held on 15 December for the Durban Intercontinental lottovip Convention Centre. Mageza claims it urgently needs the blocked grant to pay the party’s support vendors.
The SATMA awards, which had been initially held in 2006, are staged over two nights and it truly is unclear how the tens of thousands and thousands in grants from the NLC, MDCSR along with other funders have been put in.
Desmond Msomi, the chairman of Mageza, did not respond to particular concerns from GroundUp, including the expense of staging a SATMA awards ceremony.
In its place, he reported: “Your thoughts are observed. Even so, we have already been advised via the NLC that this make any difference is currently being investigated from the SIU. As a result, we are not able to reply to your concerns until eventually we are suggested the investigation has long been finished and the amount owed has become paid out to Mageza.”
Just after Mpumalanga “received the proper” to host the awards for three many years, the then provincial Culture, Activity and Recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, explained it as “a boon” for that province.
“Internet hosting the SATMA Awards has constructive economic spinoffs for the Mpumalanga coffers and Additionally, it talks to the Office’s mandate of advertising and marketing social cohesion.”