- Gospel singer Pulane Maphari has been stripped off her SAMA win.
- RiSA says the artist violated the awards' rules by repackaging an old album as a new body of work.
- Kingdmusic has been announced as the new winner of the Best Contemporary Faith Album award.
Barely a month after winning the SAMA Best Contemporary Faith Album award, the Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA) has withdrawn the prestigious gong from gospel singer Pulane Maphari.
According to a statement by RiSA, Pulane repackaged, renamed and paraded an album – Sacrificial Worship - that she released in 2020 as a new body of work and submitted it for 2021 consideration with the same track listing.
“This is in clear violation of the rules of the SAMA and equals an automatic disqualification. Under General Rules: Eligibility for Entry clause 5.1 states that an album must contain not less than four (4) tracks of previously unreleased recorded performances (Remixes are excluded). Clause 5.2 says 50 percent of the album must feature different and previously unreleased sound recordings by the artist or group entered (in other words, no re-released albums or “best of” or “greatest hits” compilations and the like),” the statement reads.
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Due to this, the new 2022 SAMAs Best Contemporary Faith Album winner is Kingdmusic for Denga who received the second-highest scores in that category, as confirmed by the auditors, PwC.
Although Pulane will continue to face the music by being disqualified and going through further investigations to determine whether further action needs to be taken, the SAMAs project team has been suspended and is undergoing instituted internal disciplinary processes.
“The integrity of the SAMA is of the utmost importance. We take seriously any complaint we receive regarding how the winners are chosen and the conduct of our office and the panel of judges. We are looking at a total overhaul of the SAMA structure, systems, and processes. The SAMAs must be artist-driven and focused,” RiSA CEO, Nhlanhla Sibisi says via statement.
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