MBABANE – The funds allocated for royalty payments are now available. This was disclosed by the Minister for Commerce, Industry and Trade, Manqoba Khumalo, during a parliamentary session held on Monday.
Khumalo made the announcement while providing an update on the progress of compiling royalties. He commended the intellectual property office for its diligent efforts on this initiative. “We would like to recognise the intellectual property office. They have worked tirelessly to accelerate the royalties process. We are now at a stage where we have the budget to commence royalty payments. However, the system for disbursing these payments still needs to be implemented. This system will also determine how much artists will receive,” Khumalo stated. He further indicated that disbursement could begin this year if all plans proceed smoothly. “The office has now established how payments will be made through broadcasting platforms such as radio, television and digital media.
We hope that next year, the funding will be sufficient to sustain this project. We aim for official disbursements to commence this year; even if initial payments are modest, we are determined to see the process unfold as intended.
We are grateful for the support from the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, which has helped us advance this project. We also wish to recognise the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology, for their significant contribution,” he said.
Last week, the Executive Director of the Eswatini Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Society (ESWACOS), Mmeli Hlanze, stated that royalties would be paid annually, as monthly payments are deemed unfeasible. He revealed this during an interview with this publication, enquiring whether the country would implement a reliable tracking mechanism.
Hlanze explained that a tracking tool is already being piloted but emphasised that monthly royalty payments are unlikely. “We do not see broadcasters being able to pay monthly.
I am not speaking on their behalf, but I believe it is unlikely. Most Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) pay annually. The process of disbursing royalties is lengthy and requires detailed analytics,” he explained.
He also noted that research has been conducted into suitable broadcast monitoring tools.
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