Fassie and Ringo shine at the Koras

Sunday, 05-Sep-1999 06:57:43

Pop megastar Michael Jackson gave former president Nelson Mandela a cheque for R1 million towards his children's fund at the fourth Kora All Africa Music Awards ceremony at Sun City on Saturday night, an organiser said. Gift Merafi, public relations spokesperson from Gillian Gamsy International, said Jackson, along with fellow musicians had raised the money during a recent concert in Tokyo, Japan. South Africa also scooped two coveted awards at the star-studded ceremony where top musicians from across Africa gathered to celebrate the continent's music and culture. Brenda Fassie was voted best female artist in Africa and Ringo came out tops in the best artist/group in Southern Africa. "It was a vibey celebration of African music," Merafi said. Other winners were: (...) Award for African American Diaspora - American Lauryn Hill (...) Jackson, who jetted into South Africa on Friday afternoon, was also awarded a "Lifetime Achievement Award" for his contribution to music. The award was handed to him by Namibian Premier Hage Geingob. While the event was broadcast to viewers in other parts of Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, South Africans lost out because of an apparent misunderstanding with the SABC, Merafi said. He said snippets would however be aired shortly on M-Net's Front Row. - Sapa