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Johannesburg - The late Spokes H, Steve Kekana and Mbongeni Ngema have been named by the organising committee as this year’s local honourees while Shashika Mooruth is the recipient of the International Achiever Award.
The organisers announced other the nominees, for rest of the awards, last month.
The 2018 Sama ceremony will take place on Saturday, 2 June and will be broadcast live from Sun City, North West on SABC1 at 20:00.
MORE ABOUT SPOKES H:
Spokes H will be honoured posthumously. Born Letona Spokes Hlatshwayo, he became a household name in the 1980s with hit songs such as Tamatisous and carried on the winning streak into the 1990s with anthems like Rabaki and Peace Magents. Spokes H is remembered for his irreverent and comical lyrics. He died aged 45 in 2013.
MORE ABOUT STEVE KEKANA:
Steve Kekana, 59, lost his sight at age five and attended a school for the blind in Polokwane. He discovered his singing voice there and became a member of amateur groups as a teen. In 1979 and 1980 he won the SABC Black Music Award as the best male vocalist. His song Raising My Family was a hit in Europe. He has more than 40 albums to his credit and gave a generation a soundtrack with chart toppers like Feel So Strong (featuring Hotline). Kekana holds B Juris and LLB degree and is an advocate and a lecturer in Labour Law at the University of South Africa.
MORE ABOUT MBONGENI NGEMA:
A day after his 62nd birthday, Mbongeni Ngema’s talent that straddles the worlds of music, theatre and film with great ease will be honoured. A writer, lyricist, composer, director and theatre producer, he started his career as a theatre backing guitarist. He is synonymous with some of the nation’s most iconic theatre/film productions such as Sarafina! Woza Albert, Asinamali and Magic at 4am that all boast stunning soundtracks that he composed. His greatest hit Stimela Sase Zola catapulted him to the heights of music acclaim and popularity. Ngema has released over 10 albums to date. With a knack to discover talent, it’s through his works that countless singers, actors, playwrights, composers, choreographers and theatrical directors found their voice.
MORE ABOUT SHASHIKA MOORUTH:
Shashika Mooruth is an icon of Indian music. She has achieved a lot not only as a recording artist but as a producer too. Her album Krishna, The Flute Player featured on the Billboard charts on its release. Her single It’s Sa Ga Sa Ga Ma was nominated in the Best World Music Song at the Roundglass Music Awards in the US this year. Her song The Flute Breathes was also nominated for the Global Peace Song Awards in World Music category in the US last year.
