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The South African Music Awards(SAMA’s) will go ahead as initially planned.
Organisers of the awards, Recording Industry of SA(RiSA) revealed that the 29th edition of the awards will be hosted in collaboration with Africa Fest on November 18, at the SunBet Arena, Menlyn in Tshwane.
The province of KwaZulu-Natal had initially been announced as the host but withdrew sponsorship after economic development MEC Siboniso Duma was advised against hosting the R28 million event by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In a statement issued, RiSA said after days of uncertainty sparked by the sudden withdrawal, a new home for the prestigious music awards has been secured and music fans can have a euphoric sight of relief.
“It took some nifty footwork and agility to ensure that SAMA29 is saved and staged on the set date.
“We are humbled by the receptive and sympathetic nature of our partners at Africa Fest who showed that the industry can be stronger when we are together. This is a display of the Sesotho adage ‘kopano ke matla’ (unity is strength).
“They have generously accommodated our programme and will be assisting in ensuring that the awards run as smoothly as possible with the highest production values befitting the calibre of our musicians. I have no doubt that it will be a memorable one,” RiSA CEO, Nhlanhla Sibisi stated.
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Africa Fest Arnold Coleske added; “We are delighted to be working with SAMA29 as part of the Africa Fest inaugural offering. When RiSA approached us for this collaborations we saw it as an opportunity to work together.
“Our dealings with each other have been seamless, we found a lot of common ground and synergies. This is a big win for South African music.
