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Former Club 808 music show hosts Lawrence Maleka and Bontle Moloi will reignite their spark for one night as the hosts of this year’s SA Music Awards (Samas) on Saturday. The duo have been paired to lead the proceedings of the country’s biggest music night.
Speaking to City Press about her hosting gig, Moloi said she was looking forward to sharing the stage with Maleka, whom she last worked with on the now defunct e.tv show about five years ago.
This year’s Samas ceremony will be broadcast live on SABC1. There won’t be a live audience due to Covid-19 regulations.
Moloi, who hosted the awards’ red carpet two years ago when she was pregnant with her daughter, Afrika, said she was excited to host the show again.
“For me, this is another way I get to live, breath and achieve something amazing. I mean, it’s a big deal – it’s the Samas. I don’t have the words, but I am grateful and I feel honoured with the trust of leading the proceedings. I can’t wait,” she said.
READ: The Samas will present flowers to living legends
Moloi will be dressed by popular fashion designer Kgosi Lesego.
“I will probably have three dresses. I really want to have fun. If I could push it to four I would definitely push it to four... if I could do five, or even change for every link, I am telling you, I would do it!” she enthused.
Maleka would not reveal who was dressing him and only joked that he would be wearing fitted suits by his tailor “Sam”.
This is the first awards gig for the SA Film and Television Award-winning actor, and he said he could pick and choose projects he wanted to be a part of.
“We got the call and it wasn’t the first call we got this time around. We got the call and, for me and where I am, we just felt that, when everyone is looking to jump ship at the SABC, I would rather be part of the solution as opposed to highlighting the problem.” Maleka was referring to the exodus of talent at the cash-stripped public broadcaster, which has led artists in their numbers to join other channels.
READ: Black Coffee asked not to be considered for Samas
“I grew up watching the SABC platform, so it’s not necessarily always about financial gain, but it’s also to say there are people who are deprived of the work I do, or have not seen it in a long time, so to purely look at it holistically, and not to say I will only go when they pay me. At some stage this is the platform that I watched and the reason I wanted to get in television. It is sort of paying homage for me, and the little Lawrence in me is saying finally you are being recognised.”
He said he was also looking forward to hosting the awards mainly for the music. “I think the objective more than anything, even for me, is to make people forgot for a little while everything that is happening. For two hours, people will rejoice and be happy as we applaud the men and women who give us the music. The overall objective is for the artists to be glorified.”
Some of the big nominees for the Samas include Maphorisa, Black Diamond, Berita, Black Motion and Kabza De Small.
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