As the future of the awards hang in the wind, Mzansi artists who were looking forward to the ceremony have also been disappointed.
AWARD-winning musician and music producer Zakes Bantwini took to X and shared his views on the South African Music Awards (SAMAs) being cancelled.
“Cancelling the SAMAs is a BIG mistake and a saddest day for the art 💔🥲 #SAMA29,” he tweeted.
Bantwini won his first SAMA last year for Highest Radio Airplay Composers Award and Best Collaboration for the hit single ‘Osama’ featuring Kasango.
He was one of the artists who was very vocal about his dissatisfaction with last year’s ceremony.
“Regrettably this year happens to be the lowest point of these awards and I receive these awards with a heavy heart, the lack of attendance by artists nominated is just one signs of what THE ARTISTS THINK OF SAMAS organisers and stakeholders!,” he wrote in a lengthy post at the time.
Last year’s ceremony was clouded by varying complaints; Nhlanhla Nivo Ndimande’s involvement as creative director for the SAMAs despite being the manager for Musa Keys, who won the award for Record of the Year, also caused a stir.
The controversial stripping of gospel artist Pulane Maphari of her Best Contemporary Faith Album award added to the drama of the awards.
Maphari was stripped of the win after she allegedly repackaged, renamed and paraded a previously released album.
Organisers, the Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA), earlier this year announced that the awards, on the back of months of industry-wide consultations and reflections, will be undergoing some fundamental transformations.
Earlier this week, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs announced that they would no longer be hosting the awards next month in Durban.
The department’s MEC, Siboniso Duma on Wednesday during a press conference in Durban, dropped the bombshell.
“As an executive authority, having consulted widely with the executive council and other stakeholders, I have advised the department to stop the hosting of the South African Music awards this year,” Duma said.
Subsequently, a new location had been announced, but now the awards have to go back to the drawing board to find a venue with just two weeks of the scheduled date.
