BOMU received a whooping P750 000 cash in sponsorship from Mascom, as well as a further P200, 000 when Botswana Television (Btv) paid for the airing of the awards. The Department of Culture also contributed P50, 000 towards the awards, BOMU officials told the media yesterday at a press conference held at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC). BOMU also disclosed that they managed a further P243, 000 from the Department of Culture,a to coordinate the annual Presidential music awards. BOMU secretary general Seabelo Modibe however criticised musicians for not taking advantage of the BOMU awards. He felt that musicians could use the awards to brand themselves as their counterparts were doing in other countries. BOMU held some of the most controversial awards last year when the prestigious song of the year award was awarded to the wrong recipient live on Btv, only to correct the mistake 24 hours later on the Btv 7pm news bulletin. Many Btv viewers had gone to bed knowing that Banjo Mosele's Ntsa e jele Ntsanyana was the Song of the Year, only to be told the following day in the 7pm Btv bulletin that the song of the year was actually supposed to be Khudu, by Culture Spears. BOMU goes to the polls on February 24 to elect a new executive committee. The current office bearers however told the media that they did very well in their short period in office, managing to open new offices for BOMU, as well as getting the music awards reinstated, sourcing sponsorship for the awards, and settling debts of P27, 500. Modibe also said although BOMU has 500 members, less than 30 of them have joined the funeral scheme that BOMU has clinched for them with Lyn's Funeral Parlour.
