ANN7 SATY Awards postponed amid calls for boycott

Just a week after the EFF called on celebrities and fans to boycott the Gupta family-linked ANN7 South African of the Year Awards, the event's organisers have announced that it has been postponed until 2017.

According to ANN7, the event was postponed due to "unforeseen regulatory circumstances" and a new date would be announced in due course.

"The postponement is due to unforeseen regulatory circumstances that have materially impacted on logistics for the event. Regretfully, this has left us with no choice but to seek a new date in the near future. We look forward to confirming a rescheduled date,” the event's Moegsien Williams said.

TshisaLIVE understands that organisers are looking at a date around April next year.

The awards, which were set to host performances by American artists Robin Thicke and Jennifer Lopez, were supposed to be held at the TicketPro Dome on November 25.

The awards were cast into the spotlight last week when the EFF issued a statement calling on celebrities, such as Bonang and Somizi, to cancel their participation in the "criminal" event.

The EFF claimed that the Gupta family are trying to "legitimise their criminal activities in South Africa" by hosting the awards, and called on celebrities and fans to use their power to boycott the event in the same spirit as those who had boycotted the apartheid system.

"The Guptas have no moral ground to tell us who the South African of the Year is when they have clearly shown the disrespect and disdain they have for this our beloved country. And to our fellow artists, South Africa is looking to you for leadership in this matter," the statement added.

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