Exclusive: #Sama29 Planning Already in Motion, RiSA Calls for Artists To Submit Entries Before Due Date

• The 29th edition of the Samas is around the corner, and organisers of the biggest awards ceremony in South Africa have vowed to do better than last year
• RiSA spokesperson Lesley Mofokeng said they are working tirelessly to ensure that the awards ceremony goes perfectly
• Mofokeng also urged South African artists to make use of the extended submission period and submit their work either online or in person

The Samas are always marred with controversy from artists calling organisers out for not being fair to South Africans complaining about poor event planning and execution.

The Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA) spokesperson Lesley Mofokeng spoke to Briefly News and confirmed that the plans for #Sama29 are already underway. He said that they are aware of the complaints that came up not only last year but in previous years.

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Mofokeng assured South Africans that they are putting in place measures that will ensure that #Sama29 is a world-class event. He said:

"We have gone back to the drawing board to look at how we are going to do #Sama29. We will make announcements at a later stage but we have made some changes."

RiSA spokesperson Lesley Mofokeng stresses the importance of the Samas

The Samas have been running in the country for almost three decades, honouring South African artists for the hard work they do.

Reacting to the comments about the awards losing their credibility, Mofokeng said that is not true because if anything, the Samas are growing from strength to strength. He added:

"Anyone who says the Samas are not relevant is not in the industry because the numbers are there to speak for themselves. The numbers have been going up for the past three years."

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Mofokeng on the criteria Samas use to select category winners

Last year, the Samas were blasted when an artist named Haksul Musiq beat the likes of Makhadzi and A-Reece in the Artist of the Year category.

Mofokeng responded to the backlash by noting that the awards show does not consider an artist's popularity or number of social media followers, but what they bring to the table.

"At the end of the day, it boils down to the body of work that you present and in that regard. the playing fields are level. An artist with 20 followers on Twitter and Instagram gets treated the same way as an artist with 2 million followers."

RiSA calls on artists to submit entries before closing date

In his closing remarks, RiSA spokesperson Lesley Mofokeng urged South African artists to make use of the extended entry submission period and submit their songs.

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He said musicians may submit their entries until Friday, April 21 at midnight online at www.samusicawards.co.za or physically at their offices.

Trevor Noah to host new local show LOL: Last One Laughing, Mzansi not happy with show's rules

In other news, Briefly News reported that internationally acclaimed South African media personality Trevor Noah has secured a top local gig. The star will host a new comedy show named LOL: Last One Laughing.

The television show is Prime Video's first South African original, and comedy lovers can't wait.

According to entertainment blogger Phil Mphela, LOL: Last One Laughing will see 10 upcoming comedians competing for R1 million, which will be donated to charity.

Source: Briefly News