SAMAs partner with Africa Fest ahead of Pretoria awards ceremony

The development follows the cancellation of KwaZulu-Natal provincial government funding. The ceremony will now be held at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria and will kick off with the red carpet event at 4pm.

The inaugural Africa Fest will serve as the official after-party, which will be preceded by a live broadcast of the SAMAs on SABC 1 at 8pm. The festival is a celebration of African talent, culture and the unifying power of music. It will feature top local artists including Kabza De Small, Makhadzi, DBN Gogo, Samthing Soweto, Kamo Mphela, Pabi Cooper, Nkosazana Daughter, Uncle Waffles, Mas Musiq, Sam Deep, DJ Stokie and Lesego M.

“It took some nifty footwork and agility to ensure that #SAMA29 is saved and staged on the set date”, RiSA CEO Nhlanhla Sibisi said. “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.”

Africa Fest’s Arnold Coleske said: “We are delighted to be working with #SAMA29 as part of the Africa Fest inaugural offering. When RiSA approached us for this collaboration, we saw it as an opportunity for the industry 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.”

Coleske added: “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.”

Meanwhile, the SAMAs have opened voting for Record of the Year and Music Video of the Year categories and voters stand a chance to win R100 000. The competition will run until 18 November.

Tickets to Africa Fest are available here.