The South African Music Awards (SAMAs) for 2023 have been called off due to a public outcry regarding the allocated budget of R20 million for the event. The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) government decided to withdraw from hosting the Awards, which were scheduled to take place in Durban next month.
During a media briefing, Siboniso Duma, the ANC Provincial Chairperson and MEC for Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs, confirmed the cancellation. He expressed regret, stating, Unfortunately, in the process of ensuring transparency, official and public documents have been weaponized against the department to create a scandal around this national event with a global following. He also clarified that the reported R28 million and other figures were being used to confuse the public, with the actual budget amounting to around R20 million before VAT. He emphasized that this figure was determined through ongoing consultations.
Despite the cancellation, Duma mentioned that the three-year sponsorship deal for the SAMAs remains unaffected. The 2023 SAMA originally had dates set for November 17 and 18, hosted at the Durban International Convention Centre.
