Luvuyo Kakaza
With a few hitches the South African Music Awards (Sama) got off an hour late on March 30 amid great dramatics.
Five musicians were honoured for their lifetime achievements – these included the three former exiles, Jonas Gwangwa, Hugh Masekela and composer Caiphus Semenya; accordionist Nico Carstens, who has sold two-million records in his 50- year career; and multi-instrumentalist Dan Hill.
Gwangwa strolled up the stairs to the sound of his melancholic Flowers of the Nation. Semenya received his accolade without a mention of his long-term partner in music, Letta Mbulu – almost criminal for an event that should be honouring women achievers too.
This year’s major awards went mostly to the older guard, among them Busi Mhlongo, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Themba Mkhize, who won three awards each. Mhlongo walked away with three statuettes for best female artist, best African adult contemporary album and best African pop for her hit album, Urban Zulu.
Mkhize was honoured for the best South African traditional jazz album and best compilation for a stage musical. As a result, Mandla Langa’s Milestones beat Ghetto Ruff’s hit soundtrack Yizo Yizo. Mkhize also won the best producer award.
Boom Shaka’s Lebo Mathosa announced, in disbelief, Ladysmith Black Mambazo as winners of the best duo or group award – which had 10 nominees, three of them kwaito bands. For some reason, members of Tkzee seemed distinctly unenthusiastic when Leigh Ogilvie won the best video director for her video of their song Fiasco. At the same time, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who are currently on tour in the United States, weren’t even present to show enthusiasm at winning best single other than pop, rock or kwaito and the best international market achievement awards.
Hot favourites Bongo Maffin, who last year won best African pop album, and Boom Shaka went home empty-handed.
It was, however, not a downfall for kwaito as the most-loved M’du won two awards: the best kwaito album and the best popular dance music album for his hit, 24 Seven. And the self-appointed king of kwaito, Arthur Mafokate, won the best kwaito single for his poorly improvised traditional folk songs on Yiyo.
The Ghetto Ruff stable walked away with three awards. These included the R&B wizkid, E’Smile aka Ismael Morabe, album The Beautiful Thing won best R&B album. Ghetto House Beats, a compilation of house tracks by Kyllex won the best house album. While Ghetto Luv, well-known as the gals from Yeoville, won best dance single for Foreplay.
South Africa’s “black Madonna”, Brenda Fassie, scooped two awards for the best song of the year and best-selling album for her most tedious song, Nomakanjani, which is derived from her last year’s come back album Vulindlela. Thankfully the noisy “Mabrrr” was not around to put up a show. Fassie is currently in Burkina Faso, but there were enough attention-seeking hangers-on insisting on taking to the stage to receive the awards with Fassie’s son, Bongani.
The presenters, SABC1’s Thembi Mbengashe and stand-up comedian Martin Jonas, had subdued chemistry (some say none at all). Jonas was in better form last year and Mbengashe’s attempts to add hype were insipid, dour and uninspiring.