Story audio is generated using AI
Arena Holdings has reinstated Sunday Times editor Makhudu Sefara after an independent investigation found no evidence of misconduct regarding a R550,000 payment made to his company in 2018, ending months of uncertainty after allegations linked to an SIU statement.The media company announced on Sunday that it has lifted Sefara’s special leave after receiving the findings of an investigation conducted by Werksmans Attorneys. Arena had placed Sefara on special leave after the SIU issued a public statement on April 28 and tasked the law firm with determining whether there was evidence of misconduct regarding money paid by Todi Media to Sefara’s company, Unscripted Communication, to organise a media conference for journalists in December 2018.Arena said that investigators examined the service level agreement between Todi Media and Unscripted Communication, bank records, invoices, receipts, photographs of the event, reports submitted after the conference and correspondence between Sefara, his legal representatives and the SIU.The investigation concluded that the conference did take place, that Unscripted Communication provided the contracted services and that Sefara was directly involved in planning and executing the event. Werksmans also found no evidence that the R550,000 payment had been diverted, misappropriated or received without services being rendered, concluding there is no basis for a finding of misconduct or impropriety against Sefara.Arena further said the SIU had informed Sefara’s attorneys that he was not the subject of its investigation and that no findings had been made against him. The company noted that the SIU’s investigation related to Todi Media, which had acknowledged liability and repaid the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) grant after accepting that the money had not been used for the purpose for which it had been awarded.The matter stems from the SIU’s broader investigation into alleged corruption and the misuse of National Lotteries Commission funding. The SIU has spent several years probing how millions of rand in lottery grants intended for charitable and community projects were allegedly diverted through nonprofit organisations and private companies. Todi Media was among the entities scrutinised during those investigations over funds it received from the NLC.Sefara’s connection to the matter arose because his company was paid by Todi Media to organise a media conference in 2018. After the SIU’s public statement in April, Arena placed him on special leave pending an independent investigation into whether the payment amounted to misconduct or raised questions about his suitability to continue as editor of the Sunday Times.In its statement, Arena said it remains supportive of the SIU’s constitutional mandate to investigate corruption and the misuse of public funds but said it also has a responsibility to ensure employment decisions are based on all available evidence and demonstrable facts.
