Overview
- Thandiswa Mazwai’s Sankofa earned Female Artist of the Year, Best African Adult Contemporary Album, Best Engineered Album, and Best Produced Album.
- Goldmax won Album of the Year and Male Artist of the Year for Play at Your Own Risk, which also took Best Gqom Album.
- The South African Music Awards were staged at Gallagher Estate in Johannesburg in a live‑digital format after RiSA streamlined the event due to sponsorship constraints.
- Other honorees included Black Motion (Duo or Group of the Year and Best Collaboration), Kelvin Momo (Best Amapiano Album), Sjava (Best Afro Pop Album), Khuzani (Best Maskandi Album), Nontokozo Mkhize (Newcomer of the Year), and Ayra Starr (Rest of Africa Award), while Solly Moholo received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Partners ranged from the Motsepe Foundation and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to Sampra, Samro, Capasso, YouTube, the Gauteng provincial government and GAC Motor, with SABC broadcasting the show and organizers lauding the night’s success.