The 27th South African Music Awards nominees list came out last night, with Kabza De Small leading with six nominations, Sun El-Musician following up with five, and other big names such as Sho Madjozi, the Ndlovu Youth Choir and Mi Casa receiving their nods.
Amidst all the well-deserved congratulations being shared for the nominees, some artists and their fans felt like they may have been snubbed of a chance at winning the award this year.
Shortly after the nominations rolled in, Limpopo-based singer/songwriter, Makhadzi, opened up about her concerns over the SAMAs nominations list.
I did submited samas nomination forms but unfortunately maybe I didn’t meet their requirements 😭😭
— Makhadzi Muimbi SA (@MakhadziSA) May 19, 2021
Her fans stood up in support of her and truly feel as though she should have at least been nominated. Messages of support were shared online, where some said:
Makhadzi is Bigger than the SAMAs.
Before we go any further… She’s BIGGER.
Nothing will dim her light. She’s a MEGASTAR🥰💚 pic.twitter.com/z9DMALP0hq
— M A K H A D Z I Stan (@Khadzinator) May 19, 2021
As long as they will not take away what you have❤️. You show them your talent & effort but they didn’t recognise that…. Maybe you should be corrupt for them to notice you, and that’s not what we want from you. You’ll always get support from us. Whether they recognise you or not!
— ツ Ø ͏ Ʀ ͏ ł ™ ͏ ͏ ❼ (@Ori_Debig_Beats) May 19, 2021
This isn’t the first time the SAMA’s have been under fire for being unfair and biased in their voting processes. In 2015, musician Cassper Nyovest first aired his qualms with the awards after his hit Doc Shebeleza wasn’t nominated for Song of The Year. Even as recently as January this year, he called the awards “corrupt”, “rigged” and “dead!”.
Do people even remember who won the SAMAs last year? That used to be the biggest and most important award for artist. Now it doesnt mean anything. You know why ? Corruption, they thought they were bigger than the artists. They disconnected from the culture. It’s all rigged. Dead!
— Don Billiato (@casspernyovest) January 23, 2021
SAMA’s spokesperson, Lesley Mofokeng, was quick to respond via a statement to TshisaLive in which they said that their judging systems had proven to be “resilient and with integrity”.
Cassper has since added his voice to Makhadzi being snubbed at this year’s SAMAs and reached out to her with a powerful message to keep her head up and keep making history.
.@MakhadziSA don’t worry. They don’t mean anything anymore. Keep your head up and keep making history. We love you.
— Don Billiato (@casspernyovest) May 20, 2021



