SAMAs delayed due to financial problems

The South African Music Awards (SAMAs) organisers have gone back to the drawing board in an attempt to ensure the highly-anticipated event takes places this year as there currently is no sponsor.

ALSO READ: ‘They represent a looted SOE’: Zakes Bantwini slams SAMAs

SAMAS FAILING TO SECURE A SPONSOR

According to Sunday World, the awards show has failed to secure a sponsor after receiving heavy criticism from multiple unhappy artists last year.

There has been no nominees list for the 29th edition thus far, no date or venue, which are all often annually announced in June.

ALSO READ: SAMAs need to respect us’: Amapiano stars call out awards show

Speaking to the publication, SAMAs spokesperson Lesley Mofokeng said although there is a delay, the show has not been canned.

“RiSA remains determined to deliver the 29th edition of the SA Music Awards even in the most challenging financial conditions we face,” said Mofokeng.

“We have undergone a restructuring process that relooked our processes and repackaged the Sama. The team has been hard at work with committee meetings, vetting of entries, judging, and other behind-the-scenes work,” he said.

Mofokeng said South Africans should brace themselves for a announcement in the next couple of weeks.

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ALL THE CONTROVERSY

The 28th edition of the SAMAs came with lots of controversy as displeased musicians, ZAlebs Bantwini, Makhadzi, Lady Du and DJ Maphorisa lashed out at the organisers.

In social media posts after his hit song Osama won the Best Collaboration and the Highest Airplay Awards at last year’s event, Zakes said there was no integrity in the way the awards were being produced; from the planning to the awarding of artists and extending the basic courtesy of respect to the artists.

“This is a result of years of the judging processes being unjust, corrupt, myopic thinking and a lack of vision. Our coveted award show depicts a looted SOE and reeks of nepotism and traces of bureaucracy,” Zakes lashed out.

Amapiano artist Lady Du accused the organisers of “gate keeping” the SAMAs, while Maphorisa accused the awards show of “cheating the numbers”.

Makhadzi, whose fans were unhappy that she was snubbed the Artist of The Year award, claimed she rehearsed for a 5-minute performance, however, it was reduce to a minute on the actual night and was marred by technical glitches.

Addressed the poor quality of the SAMAs, organiser Nhlanhla Sibisi said they struggled to organise tge event because they didn’t have enough money. He also said they gave total power to the public to nominate and vote for the artist of the year “which weakened our internal controls because the public vote took over and controlled the voting process.”

ALSO READ: SAMAs boss says sorry: ‘We didn’t have enough money’

A month after the show, the SAMA were still making headlines for all the wrong reasons after gospel artist Pulane Maphari, who won a SAMA in the Best Contemporary Faith Album category, was stripped of her award as she was accused of lying that her album Sacrificial Worship (Live) being new.

ALSO READ: Holy lies: Gospel star stripped of SAMA win, new winner crowned

As a result, Sibisi suspended the SAMA project team and instituted internal disciplinary processes

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