After dropping the dread F bomb during the live broadcast of the SA Music Awards last Sunday night, rock band aKing's member Andrew Davenport will escape unpunished.

Davenport's slip of the tongue while drunk has been defended as in the heat of the moment while the band accepted the best rock album award.

The guitarist ascended the stage with another member, Hennie van Halen, and he couldn't contain his excitement, saying his father and his ascendants were from here in South Africa, but "I've never felt so proud to be South African. F***!" he announced to the shock of the audience in the Superbowl of Sun City and millions who watched on TV.

The awards' spokeswoman, Mika Chauke, said that although Davenport seemed drunk and even swore, there was not much they could do.

"It's a live television show, we can't edit things out though we do encourage people to be responsible," she said.

Chauke added that there was no alcohol in the arena during the show. "We don't encourage drinking in the arena. There was no alcohol sold in there so, if he drank, it must have happened before the event."

She said the closest thing to a punishment that Davenport could face was being reprimanded by their record company.

But Just Music, the band's stable, said they too would not do anything to the musician.

"It was an innocent off-the-cuff comment with no malicious intent," said Tania Anderson of Just Music. Anderson said the incident got a lot of attention on social media.

Davenport admitted to being drunk and that the cursing was impromptu.

"We've been nominated so many times and lost. We thought we were going to lose again.

"We got there and drank as losers and at the end of the night we were winners," said Davenport.

He said the recent xenophobic attacks hadn't shown the country in a good light, that's why he mentioned his forefathers were from here.

The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa confirmed that no complaints about Davenport were received.

tiwaneb@timesmedia.co.za