An arts advocacy group, Artists United, has filed a formal complaint with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) against Sisa Mayekiso, a registered chartered accountant and a board member of the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (Samro).
The group accuses Mayekiso of violating several provisions of the SAICA Code of Professional Conduct. These include breaches of integrity, objectivity, and professional competence.
“Mayekiso failed to uphold the fundamental principles of integrity by allegedly enabling unethical conduct by fellow directors, participating in coordinated actions against member-elected composer directors, and supporting the rejection of a hybrid meeting format which they argue would have promoted transparency and accountability.
Series of grievances
“Mayekiso neglected to address an unauthorised R15,000 payment from Samro funds for a board member’s personal interest. And that he attempted to influence another board member to make false accusations during the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on 29 August 2025,” reads the complaint in part.
“In his capacity as Audit and Risk Committee Chair, Mayekiso failed to support a proper risk assessment prior to the sale of the Samro building. He allowed misleading statements regarding the lack of member consultation requirements. And participated in what they describe as an ‘irregular appointment process’ for the Company Secretary,” the complaint reads in part.
Media personality, actress, and playwright Jayshree Parasuramen said that on August 29, they requested a meeting with Mayekiso. But he allegedly avoided them so that the matter could instead be discussed at a formal meeting scheduled for October 9.
“He did not avail himself. Instead an apology was sent on his behalf. He continues to evade our questions and emails. We submitted a request to the company secretary to ensure he is made aware of this development. Yet to date, there has been no response from either the board or the COSEC. This ongoing lack of accountability is one of the reasons we escalated the matter to SAICA.
Declined to comment
“We have repeatedly requested to meet with Mayekiso and the board. But our correspondence and numerous emails continue to be ignored. We will be following up with SAICA on the matter, as SAICA confirmed receipt of the complaint,” said Parasuramen.
Mayekiso responded. He said he has “not yet received any formal notice or correspondence from SAICA regarding any complaint that may have been laid against me”.
“Until such notice is received, and in accordance with the association’s due processes, I am unfortunately not in a position to comment on any of the allegations mentioned. Once I have been formally notified and have had the opportunity to review the details of the complaint, I will then consider providing further comment through the appropriate channels.”
SAICA CEO Patricia Stock explained that members of the institute are bound by the SAICA Code of Professional Conduct. “It defines five fundamental professional principles. These are: integrity; objectivity; professional competence and due care; confidentiality; and professional behaviour.
“The institute’s disciplinary process becomes operative once an allegation of improper and/or unprofessional conduct has been made against a member by any person who has lodged a complaint with the institute.”
SAICA says complaint didn’t follow procedure
However, Stock said Artists United did not follow the proper procedure when filing their complaint.
“In terms of the By-Laws, a complaint must be a formal complaint in the form of an affidavit. All complaints should be lodged on the SAICA website member portal. Artists United communicated allegations of misconduct against a member on 17 September 2025 via email in a 2-page document. It was not a complaint affidavit (as is required by the SAICA Disciplinary Code). And it did not contain any supporting documents to substantiate the allegations made.
“SAICA then contacted Artists United per e-mail on 29th September. It directed them to lodge a complaint affidavit and supporting documents onto the member portal. And this was in order for them to formally lodge the complaint.
“To SAICA’s knowledge, Artists United is yet to lodge a complaint via the member portal or to provide SAICA with the complaint affidavit and/or supporting documentation,” Stock said.
POPIA Act
She did not confirm whether Mayekiso had been informed of the complaint.
“For reasons of confidentiality and in line with POPIA, SAICA cannot divulge information specifically linked to a member, outside of the parties to a complaint. The institute’s disciplinary process plays a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of the profession and protecting public interest.
“Through the exercise of professional authority over the Institute’s members, the Institute is able to protect the public from unscrupulous practices and unprofessional or unethical conduct from its members. And by ensuring Continuing Professional Development and professional oversight, the Institute ensures the continuous development of its members’ competencies.”
