SAMAs behind schedule due to financial issuesThe 29th edition of the SAMAs has been delayed as the organisers are failing to secure a sponsor for the awards show.
by Nokuthula Ngcobo
23-07-2023 07:34
in Entertainment
SAMAs delayed due to financial issues. Images via Instagram @makhadzisa, @zakesbantwini
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.
ALSO READ: Author threatens to sue SAMAs for killing' him
SAMAs. Image via Facebook: Sjava 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
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY NOKUTHULA NGCOBO
SOAPIE QUIZ: How well do you know Smoke and Mirrors'? WIN R1 000 in cash! ENTER HERE!
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
SAMAs behind schedule due to financial issuesThe 29th edition of the SAMAs has been delayed as the organisers are failing to secure a sponsor for the awards show. 
