Amapiano Organisations In Legal Battle Over Amapiano Awards Concept. While the first annual South Africa Amapiano Music Awards were nnounced on Monday evening, 19 July 2021, there has been quite some drama and controversies around the nominations, categories and now the real brains behind the concept.
At the urgent media briefing on Monday, it was alleged that Ndlovu stole the idea for these awards. A cease and desist letter was sent to all the nominees by the Amapiano Awards, who claimed that Ndlovu, after being a member of their team, stole the idea and his awards are illegitimate. The legal document claims that a concept by Amapiano Awards (registered in October 2019) was allegedly replicated and rebranded by Saapa without consent and authorisation.
According to News24, Lawyer Kevin Smith, acting on behalf of nonprofit company Amapiano Awards, has issued Saapa organisers, Amapiano Governing Body, with a cease and desist letter. “Subsequent to the parties agreeing to the above terms, the meeting scheduled by our client was cancelled as she had to travel to KwaZulu-Natal after the unfortunate death of her husband. All communication with DJ Qness had subsequently ceased and our client was unable to contact him since,” Smith said.
“We have been furnished with various text communication and voice messages involving various members of our client and DJ Qness from our client’s directors’ private group chat discussing the concept for an award show specifically for the Amapiano genre, as well as intimate details of its implementation, stakeholders and marketing strategy.”
“I want to categorically state that there will not be two awards. The only awards that will be staged will be ours, which is the authorised Amapiano Awards. The rebranded and unauthorised SA Amapiano Awards will not be staged, to the extent that if they do not by consent, remove and withdraw the awards, we will be approaching the court on an urgent basis not only to interdict those awards but for their removal in completion,” Smith said at an urgent press briefing held by the Amapiano Awards on Monday.
