Gospel singer Pulane Maphari pleads ignorance of Samas submission rules

Disgraced gospel star Pulane Maphari has pleaded ignorance after she was stripped of her win by the South African Music Awards (Samas).

Speaking to Sowetan on Wednesday, Maphari said she did not know as she was new in the game, and did not fully understand  Samas submission guidelines. 

Maphari's win in the Best Contemporary Faith Album category was shockingly withdrawn on Tuesday after the Samas discovered that she "repackaged, renamed and paraded an album she released in 2020 as a new body of work and submitted it for 2021 consideration with the same track-listing".

The singer’s apparent violation equated to automatic disqualification.

"Initially, I wasn’t submitting my work for the Samas, I was doing it for my career as an artist, the only glitch is finding out now that we could not enter the Samas with that album," she said. 

"The issue is that I did not know I was wrong in doing so. I am still new in the industry, there’s still a lot to learn. I came at the height of the pandemic when everything [submission processes] was different and I had to learn quite a great deal but somehow I just never knew about that clause.

"I submitted everything myself. I am an independent artist who does everything herself. I am actually pushing the admin side of things myself.

"I have 13 songs on my 2020 album and 11 on the live album that I released last year. I added one new song to it. I also reworked some of the 11 songs that were in my 2020 album."

Maphari’s album Sacrificial Worship (Live)  won the Sama award last month, beating four other nominees. The Samas announced that with the latest developments the win in the category will now be handed out to Kingdmusic.

On Wednesday, the singer, through a statement, said she was surprised to learn that the album she submitted had been disqualified by the organisation. 

“It was with utmost regret and sadness that I, Pulane Maphari and team, have received an email from the SAMA28 mentioning the ‘automatic disqualification’ of my award win (Best Contemporary Faith Album), which has risen some questions, even to us, as no prior discussions or meetings have taken place regarding this issue,” reads part of her statement. 

“I hereby confirm that we are yet to receive more information and details regarding this matter,” she said. 

 Samas spokesperson Lesley Mofokeng said they will no longer be commenting further on the matter and referred the newspaper to the statement released on Tuesday.

“Under general rules: eligibility for entry clause 5.1 states that an album must contain not less than four (4) tracks of previously unreleased recorded performances (remixes are excluded),” read the statement. 

“Clause 5.2 says 50% of the album must feature different and previously unreleased sound recordings by the artist or group entered (in other words, no re-released albums or ’best of’ or ’greatest hits’ compilations and the like).

"As a consequence, Nhlanhla Sibisi, RiSA CEO, has since suspended the Sama project team and instituted internal disciplinary processes."