Music industry hopes to raise R10m for flood victims at benefit concert
Industry organisations band together in relief drive
The KwaZulu-Natal health department has been forced to put planned maintenance and some projects on hold to channel money from its budget to repair infrastructure damaged by the recent floods.
Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane said more than R200m will be required for repairs when she presented the department’s 2022/2023 budget to the provincial legislature yesterday. “As a response to the floods, and damage caused to our facilities, we’ve had to reprioritise certain projects, as instructed by Treasury,” she said.
“We took a decision that planned maintenance and capital projects that have not reached tender stage this financial year will have to be halted.
The funds originally allocated will be reprioritised and directed towards repairing damaged infrastructure. This is because the National Treasury has not allocated funding for the repairs at this stage.”
Simelane said on-site assessments of flood damage had been completed, and preparations to appoint service providers had started. “The anticipated cost of repairs is above R200m.”
Meanwhile, a concert to raise funds for the flood victims will be staged next month, the SA music industry announced yesterday. The concert is the response of music industry stakeholders, the National Arts Council (NAC) and the SABC to the social call to assist the victims.
The Arise Benefit Concert will be held at Moses Mabhida Stadium on June 18, and organisers are hoping to raise R10m through ticket sales and pledges.
The music industry is represented by organisations such as Gearhouse SA, the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (Samro), Composers, Authors and Publishers Association (Capasso), South African Music Performance Rights Association (Sampra), and Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of SA.
Festival spokesperson Dr Sipho Sithole said a wide consultation with the sector was done to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive list of artists across genres was agreed on. Sithole said a total of 34 artists will perform on the main stage, while 17 artists and four MCs will be presented by DJ Boonu’s Doo More Foundation on a parallel stage within the stadium precinct.
SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe said: “As the SABC, we are the link to various businesses and stakeholders who can assist during a disaster such as this one.”
NAC chair Princess Dlamini said: “As an organisation, it is normal that our contribution to the two affected provinces [KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape] could be made possible through bringing together the various arts industry organisations, artists, public and private sector to create this magical musical line-up.”
Samro chairperson Nicholas Maweni said about its participation: “Throughout history musicians have been the voice of those in need, and in South Africa today there is no greater need than that of those affected by the catastrophic floods.”