ANN7: Christina Aguilera dumped its South African Of the Year Awards 2015 because she's judging The Voice.

ANN7 (DStv 405) in a statement now says Christina Aguilera dumped the South African 24-hour TV news channel's upcoming South African of the Year Awards because she is judging The Voice.

The problem is that someone appears to be lying. The judges for the upcoming 9th season of The Voice on NBC starting on 21 September in the United States were announced back in July already and Christina Aguilera was replaced by Gwen Stefani who will be judging for her second season.


UPDATE 27 September: Christina Aguilera is a judge on the 10th season of The Voice which will be broadcast in 2016 and although the 9th season just started on TV in America, the "blind auditions" for the 10th season is now being filmed with filming dates that were moved.


And if it was true that Christina Aguilera is judging The Voice, why did ANN7 and Infinity Media choose her initially and not do due diligence beforehand which would have revealed that Christina Aguilera is not signable for a live performance in South Africa because she will be a judge?

It's all incredibly embarrassing for ANN7, the South African of the Year Awards and for Christina Aguilera.

The reputation of a media outlet like ANN7 which is in the news business is heavily based on values like honesty, transparency and above all credibility.

This latest sudden about-turn and having to backtrack on announcements and making a mockery of what the South African of the Year Awards 2015 was announced as initially, once again dents and inflicts damage on whatever credibility ANN7 has.

"Christina Aguilera has had to withdrawn due to a change in scheduling of the top-rated show The Voice on which she is one of the judges," says ANN7 in a statement released on Friday morning.

ANN7 goes on: "The schedule change requires her to be in the United States on the day of the South African of the Year Awards show."

NBC in America has not made any schedule changes whatsoever to its schedule for the upcoming 9th season of The Voice - on which Christina Aguilera is not a judge.

ANN7 will now be refunding all tickets to those who've already bought tickets for the South African of the Year Awards 2015 set for 17 October at the Ticketpro Dome in Randburg, Johannesburg.

The South African of the Year Awards 2015 will continue but will now suddenly become a private event.

ANN7 says "anyone who has not heard from Ticketpro should call their call centre to ensure prompt refunding takes place"

Moegsien Williams, editor-in-chief for ANN7 and SATY2015 organiser says in a statement ANN7 is "deeply disappointed" that it will suddenly no longer be able to bring Christina Aguilera to South Africa but that ANN7 "understands that she has contractual obligations that she must meet".

The South African of the Year Awards 2015 will still be a live broadcast on the channel on 17 October.