The Lottery has stopped a grant to your lavishly funded once-a-year SATMA awards. Illustration: Lisa Nelson (SATMA symbol superimposed over authentic illustration)

From 2019 to 2022 the South African Conventional Music Awards received around R16-million with the Lottery.
Although 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 to the yearly two night time party is astonishing.
The Mpumalanga authorities has funded the awards with above R41-million immediately after it “was awarded the ideal” to host the SATMA awards for 3 decades, starting while in the 2020/21 money yr.
This is Together with Lottery funding.
The National Lotteries Fee (NLC) is refusing to pay a R1.two-million grant it at first approved for an yearly conventional new music awards ceremony. The exact same occasion also gained tens of countless rand with the Mpumalanga provincial authorities.

From 2019 to 2022 the NLC awarded many grants totalling almost R16.4-million for the Mageza Heritage Foundation, the organisers on the yearly South African Regular New music Awards (SATMA).

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

GroundUp has uncovered large corruption while in the NLC that came about right up until the preceding board and management was changed in 2022. The new NLC Management is trying to clean up up the corruption with the past.

The NLC’s investigation centered on each the 2023 funding and previously grants awarded to Mageza to phase the awards. The investigation also probed a payment of in excess of R718,000, allegedly compensated from Lottery funds to G4 Brothers, of which Dumisani Gobe, the founding father of the SATMA awards, is a director.

Asked if Mageza paid out G4 a licencing or another charges to stage the awards, Goba explained: “G4 was commissioned to carry out a production of the event and received paid out for anyone expert services, like to control and develop 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 various lottery-funded initiatives that obtained grants involving Oct 2020 and May 2023, and also the payment to G4 Brothers.

The NLC has also asked the SIU to probe alleged “double dipping” in a long time wherever funders in addition to the NLC also chipped in to assist fund the awards.

This includes a grant of R400,000 from your National Heritage Council and just above R62,000 from “SABC Mobile” in 2020 - the identical economic yr by which the event been given Just about R2.6-million in lottery funding and R13.five-million with the Mpumalanga Division of Society, Athletics and Recreation (MDCSR).

MDCSR funded the awards towards the tune of around R41-million soon after it “was awarded the proper” to host the SATMA awards for 3 years, starting during the 2020/21 monetary 12 months.

The Mpumalanga governing administration’s funding for SATMA more than that period of time was considerably bigger than grants to any other organisation for cultural tasks and activities.

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 many years.

The full finances submitted on the NLC when Mageza applied for that disputed 2023 SATMA funding was R1.2-million. But of this, only R500,000 was allotted for the actual staging with the occasion. Other line goods inside the spending plan incorporated R400,000 for “staff salaries and benefits”, R200,000 for “stipends” and R100,000 for “travel.”

The awards have been held on fifteen December within the Durban International หวย หุ้น ช่อง 9 วัน นี้ Conference Centre. Mageza states it urgently needs the blocked grant to pay the party’s support suppliers.

The SATMA awards, which were 1st held in 2006, are staged around two nights and it really is unclear how the tens of thousands and thousands in grants from the NLC, MDCSR along with other funders have been expended.

Desmond Msomi, the chairman of Mageza, didn't respond to particular queries from GroundUp, including the cost of staging a SATMA awards ceremony.

Instead, he said: “Your thoughts are observed. On the other hand, we are already suggested by the NLC this make a difference is remaining investigated with the SIU. Therefore, we simply cannot respond to your issues till we have been encouraged which the investigation is concluded and the quantity owed has been paid to Mageza.”

Right after Mpumalanga “gained the appropriate” to host the awards for 3 decades, the then provincial Society, Activity and Recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, described it as “a boon” for your province.

“Hosting the SATMA Awards has good financial spinoffs for that Mpumalanga coffers and What's more, it talks to your Division’s mandate of advertising social cohesion.”