South African Afro Music Awards unveils nominees

The SAAFMAs will also award Yvonne Chaka Chaka and the late Ray Phiri with Lifetime Achievement Awards for their outstanding contribution to the South African music industry.

“Before Ray Phiri died, he already knew that we were going to award him with a Life Achievement Award,” SAAFMA chairperson China Mpololo told Music In Africa.

“He was supposed to come to Cape Town but it’s unfortunate that the awards were not held in 2016. As such, people must not think we are honouring Phiri simply because he has passed away.”

Asked why the SAAFMAs were not held last year, Mpololo said: “We had a partnership with the City of Cape Town where we held the inaugural awards but they kept on postponing the event due to sponsorship issues.

“There was no time so we decided to postpone the event to this year. We carried forward last year’s event to this year and this is why you don’t see artists such as Amanda Black featuring on the list.”

Voting process

Mpololo said a selection committee had been charged with voting for the majority of the awards’ categories.

“Public votes were done last time. This time around 80% of these categories will be judged by selection committee, consisting of a panel of music industry experts, and 20% by the public” he said.

“The public voting is a money making scheme that is compromised such that musicians with money can buy votes by influencing the public to vote in favour of them at the expense of poor musicians,” Mpololo said when asked why the SAAFMA voting structure had been altered.

“We have a panel of seven judges who are known music experts. These judges are only known to one of our organisers and I personally don’t know them and they don’t know each other. They have already started reviewing the nominees and they will submit the winners at the end of this month.”

Below is the list of nominees:

Best Afro Male Artist

• Nathi
• Musa
• Vusi Nova

Best Afro-jazz Album

• Kunle Ayo
• Nomfundo
• Heny Philemon
• Phinda

Best Afro Female Artist

• Zonke
• Zahara
• Judith Sephuma

Best Rising Star

• Soul Kulture
• Linda
• Birdie Mboweni

Best Adult Contemporary

• Zonke
• Bheki
• Thembisile
• Phinda

Best Afro Album

• Zonke – Work of Heart
• Vusi Nova – Naninina
• Nathi – Buyelekhaya
• Musa – The Dream
• Linda – Language of Love
• Zahara – Country Girl

Best Afro Radio DJ

• Umhlopo Wenene FM – Tsidi & Lunga
• Gagasi FM – Felix Hlophe
• Ukhozi FM – Dudu Khoza

Best Afro Group

• The Soul
• Soul Kulture

Best Afro-soul Album

• Zoke
• Nathi
• Ayanda ‘Yanda’ Tshabalala
• Vusi Nova

Best Afro Producer

• Zonke
• Mojalefa Thebe
• Bongani Mohlaole

Best Rising Star

• Soul Kulture
• Linda
• Birdie Mboweni