ANC KwaZulu Natal Chairperson and MEC for Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) MEC Siboniso Duma will brief the media today following the news that President Cyril Ramaphosa cautioned him against using taxpayer's money to fund the South African Music Awards (SAMAs). Duma recently announced that his department was going to spend R28 million on the event to be held in Durban next month.

This prompted Action SA KwaZulu Natal chairperson Zwakele Mngcwango to write to Ramaphosa after the ANC KZN General Secretary Bheki Mtolo allegedly ignored emails that were sent to him on the matter. Mngcwango wrote a letter to Ramaphosa on 23 October where he informed the President of the planned expenditure by the EDTEA and eThekwini Municipality in relation to the the SAMAs. Mngcwango informed Ramaphosa that they were concerned about the planned splurge of R28 million on the music awards event. "We have reached out to you with a sense of urgency, seeking your immediate intervention in this matter. We firmly believe that this allocation of funds is not only a clear case of misuse but may have also a potentially sinister implication, considering the absence of an itemised budget with accurate and substantial figures," part of Mngwango's letter read.

Mngcwango said while his party supports the hosting of the SAMAs in eThekwini for its tourism spin-offs, they are opposed to the exorbitant reprioritisation of the provincial and municipal budget when there are more urgent needs that the people of KZN need to be addressed. "As such, we implore you to give effect to this request and intercept this irrational spending when KZN and eThekwini languish with decrepit infrastructure and anemic economic opportunities which should be the department's primary focus," said Mnwango in the letter to the President. Mngcwango further revealed that eThekwini Municipality had already committed R23 million to host the event. "It appropriate to fund an R53 million vanity project rather than prioritise investment in the recovery efforts of a province still grappling with the devastating aftermath of the July 2021 riots and the April 2022 floods,". Ramaphosa spokesperson Vincent Magwenya on Tuesday confirmed that the President had received Mngcwango's letter and that he had spoken to Duma, cautioning him against using R28m of taxpayer's money to sponsor the music award ceremony within a constrained fiscal environment.