The South African Music Awards (SAMA32) have come and gone.
After several years away, the country’s biggest music awards finally returned to the North West — the province many people proudly call the home of the SAMAs.
There was excitement. There was anticipation. And, importantly, there was money behind it.
The North West Provincial Government confirmed a R15 million contribution towards hosting the awards, while the Motsepe Foundation and other partners also came on board. With that level of support, one would have expected SAMA32 to be nothing short of spectacular.
And to be fair, it was a good show.
The production was impressive. The performances were entertaining. The organisers worked hard under enormous pressure to deliver a national event at Sun City.
But when the lights went off and the music stopped, several uncomfortable questions remained.
The biggest question for me is: Where were the artists?
Many of the winners did not attend to receive their awards. Some of the biggest names in South African music were also absent.
Why?
That is a question I cannot answer.
Perhaps there were contractual commitments. Perhaps some artists were touring. Perhaps there were personal reasons. Perhaps some simply did not see the awards as important enough to attend.
Whatever the reasons, the absence of major artists took something away from the occasion.
An awards ceremony is ultimately about the people being honoured. When winners are not in the room, the excitement and prestige of the ceremony are inevitably affected.
But there is another question I believe I can answer: Why were there empty seats at the Sun City Superbowl?
Free tickets were reportedly pushed out at the last minute.
That tells its own story.
The North West community should have been the natural audience for an event of this magnitude. Instead, the organisers appeared to struggle to fill the venue.
For me, this comes down to one major issue: local mobilisation.
And this is where I believe SAMA32 failed North West — and, in some respects, North West failed SAMA32.
Local media were overlooked
If you want to bring an event to a province and fill a venue with local people, you have to speak to those people through the platforms they trust.
North West has a vibrant community media sector.
We have community newspapers, radio stations, digital publications, television platforms, social media creators and journalists who know their communities.
They know what stories resonate in Rustenburg.
They know what matters in Mahikeng – Klerksdorp – Taung – Brits – Potchefstroom – Zeerust.
They know how to reach communities in Moses Kotane, Moretele, Madibeng and across the province.
But where was the meaningful advertising investment in local media?
Apart from the SABC, which was a major partner, North West media should have been at the heart of the promotional campaign.
I am not saying local media should have been given favours.
I am saying they should have been treated as strategic partners.
If a significant portion of the marketing budget had been allocated to North West media months before the event, the story could have been very different.
Local newspapers could have run SAMA countdown campaigns.
Community radio stations could have interviewed artists, promoted ticket giveaways and created excitement around the awards.
Local digital platforms could have run competitions and community activations.
Influencers could have taken the SAMAs into townships, villages and schools.
The message could have been simple:
“The SAMAs are coming home. Be there.”
Instead, local media appeared to be brought into the picture very late.
Some media houses were reportedly given competition tickets only a day before the event.
By then, it was too late.
You cannot build a relationship with a community overnight.
You cannot expect local journalists and media houses to mobilise thousands of people at the last minute when they were not properly integrated into the campaign from the beginning.
Imagine what could have happened
Imagine if the organisers and the provincial government had sat around one table with North West media six months before SAMA32.
Imagine a coordinated provincial campaign involving every community radio station, newspaper and major digital platform.
Imagine ticket competitions running for weeks.
Imagine artists visiting local radio stations.
Imagine SAMA-branded activations in Rustenburg, Mahikeng, Brits, Klerksdorp, Zeerust, Moretele and Moses Kotane.
Imagine schoolchildren, young musicians and local artists becoming part of the build-up.
The Superbowl could have been packed.
Not because people were given free tickets at the last minute — but because people genuinely wanted to be there.
That is the difference between giving away tickets and creating demand.
Did North West really benefit?
This is another question that needs to be asked.
Apart from the masterclass and the spectacle itself, how much did ordinary North West communities actually benefit from SAMA32?
Did local musicians get meaningful opportunities?
Did local media businesses benefit?
Did local creative companies get contracts?
Did young people get jobs?
Did small businesses get opportunities?
Did local tourism operators see meaningful economic activity?
Did the event leave behind something sustainable?
These are important questions, particularly when the provincial government is contributing R15 million of public money.
Hosting a national event is not only about having the cameras point at your province for one weekend.
It should be about economic participation.
It should be about skills development.
It should be about local procurement.
It should be about giving the local creative industry a platform.
It should be about leaving something behind after the last guest checks out.
North West should not simply be the venue.
North West must be a beneficiary.
North West is a good host
Let me make one thing clear: North West is a good host.
We have the venues.
We have the tourism attractions.
We have Sun City.
We have Pilanesberg.
We have talented artists.
We have journalists.
We have radio stations.
We have creative people.
We have communities that love music and entertainment.
And we have the ability to host major national and international events.
But we need to be taken seriously.
When government puts public money into an event, local businesses and local media must not be treated as an afterthought.
There must be a deliberate plan to ensure that money circulates within the province.
And then there was the transport issue
I cannot end this opinion without mentioning something that deeply concerned me.
The driver assigned to transport local media after the event needs to be addressed.
Dropping media practitioners in the early hours of the morning in areas where there was little or no immediate assistance was simply unacceptable.
These were journalists, including women, travelling with expensive cameras, laptops and other equipment.
You cannot organise a major national event, invite media to cover it, and then treat their safety as an inconvenience at the end of the night.
A journalist’s job does not end when the show ends.
They still have equipment to protect. They still have to travel home safely.
Fortunately, everyone made it home safely — and for that we can only thank God.
But the incident should not simply be brushed aside.
The organisers need to investigate what happened and ensure that whoever is responsible for media transport understands that safety comes first.
A learning curve
Despite all these concerns, I do not believe SAMA32 should be labelled a failure.
It was a good show.
The organisers did their best.
The performances were good, the production was strong and North West got an opportunity to showcase itself nationally.
But there is always room for improvement.
If the SAMAs return to North West next year, the lessons from SAMA32 must be taken seriously.
Start the local marketing campaign early.
Bring local media into the planning.
Invest in community radio.
Invest in community newspapers.
Work with digital publishers.
Partner with local influencers.
Create community activations.
Give local businesses opportunities.
Create opportunities for local artists.
And, most importantly, make the people of North West feel that the SAMAs belong to them.
Because if the SAMAs are going to call North West home, then the people of North West must not merely watch from the sidelines.
They must be part of the celebration.
They must benefit from it.
They must fill the seats.
And they must be proud to say:
“The SAMAs came home — and they came home properly.”
Perhaps SAMA32 was not the perfect homecoming.
But it was an important beginning.
Now let us hope that, if the organisers return to North West next year, they will listen, learn and do better.
North West is ready.
The question is whether the SAMAs are ready to embrace North West properly?
Ananias Ndlovu is the publisher – Naledi News – AIP member – Member of the Press Council – Exco Member of the National Press Club – Convenor of the North West Press Club
