South Africa: 'SAMAs No Longer Matter to Fans and Artists' Says Zakes Bantwini

Zakes Bantwini says the South African Music Awards no longer unite the country, with little public interest, weak attendance and minimal online discussion recently.

He blames poor leadership by the Recording Industry of South Africa, saying judging lacks transparency and ignores young, diverse voices across regions.

Zakes Bantwini says South African music lovers are slowly turning their backs on the South African Music Awards, and artists are feeling the loss.

The Grammy-winning producer shared his views in an opinion piece, looking back at how the awards once brought families and friends together across the country.

He says there was a time when people planned their nights around the Samas, gathering around televisions to celebrate local talent together.

According to Zakes, that feeling has disappeared. He says the latest awards passed with barely any reaction from fans, artists or social media users.

Zakes says many artists did not attend, and fans showed little interest, calling it a painful sign of how far the event has fallen.

He believes local audiences now care more about overseas praise than supporting artists at home. Zakes says South Africans often wait for global approval before valuing their own stars.

While he agrees international recognition matters, he warns that ignoring local platforms sends a damaging message to young musicians.

Zakes says the next generation is being taught that success only counts if it comes from abroad, not from home support.

He also criticises the Recording Industry of South Africa, which runs the awards, saying it has failed to fix long-standing problems.

Zakes says judges are choosing artists whose relevance is questioned by fans, and the judging process is unclear.

He calls for judging panels that include young curators, regional voices and specialists from different music styles.

Despite his criticism, Zakes believes the Samas can still recover if leadership is honest and willing to make deep changes.

He says fixing the awards will take courage, effort and real reform, not small changes that avoid the real problems.

Read the original article on Scrolla.