Former Chief Executive Officer of the Musina Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) SOC Limited, Lehlogonolo Masoga, has launched a legal challenge in the Limpopo High Court to set aside a forensic investigation report that he claims was “leaked to the media” to damage his reputation.
The legal battle centers on a 164-page Rule 53 application filed on December 2, 2025, in which Masoga seeks to review and set aside a report compiled by Morar Incorporated. The report, dated December 13, 2023, investigated the provision of professional marketing and public relations services by the Mahuma Group (Pty) Ltd during Masoga’s tenure.
In a hard-hitting founding affidavit, Masoga, who now serves as the Administrator of the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (SSETA), alleges that the investigation was fundamentally flawed.
“The investigation into the provision of professional marketing and public relations services by Mahuma Group (Pty) Ltd was a witch-hunt designed to tarnish my reputation and dignity.”
He contends that the conclusions and recommendations in the Morar report were “not supported by any tangible evidence” and that the investigators violated his audi alteram partem rights, which is the fundamental legal principle that both sides must be heard.
“The manner in which the report was handled and withheld from the applicant prior to being leaked to the media constitutes an abuse of the rights to dignity and reputation,” the court papers state.
The dispute traces back to October 2021, when the MMSEZ issued a request for proposal for marketing services under Masoga’s leadership. The Mahuma Group was subsequently appointed in January 2022 with a contract value of approximately R4.4 million.
Masoga maintains that the procurement process was conducted lawfully and in strict accordance with the MMSEZ’s Supply Chain Management Policy. He emphasises that the Service Level Agreement (SLA) was signed on February 14, 2022, following “intensive negotiations” to adjust the budget and scope of work.
The investigation was commissioned in the second quarter of 2024 following allegations of duplicate payments and an incomplete scope of work by the Mahuma Group. However, Masoga has raised questions regarding the validity of the investigation itself.
According to court documents, Morar Incorporated was appointed on September 5, 2023, for a three-week period. Masoga alleges that the MMSEZ continued to engage the firm long after their SLA had expired in October 2023, only receiving the final report in December of that year.
The former CEO argues that the report constitutes “administrative action” under the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA) because it “adversely affects my rights and suitability for employment in senior roles”.
As part of the Rule 53 application, Masoga has called upon Morar Incorporated to dispatch the full record of the investigation, including transcripts and draft reports, to the Registrar of the High Court within 15 days.
The MMSEZ and Morar Incorporated have been named as respondents in the matter. They now have the opportunity to file notices of intention to oppose the application. If the court rules in Masoga’s favor, it could not only clear his name but also raise serious questions about the oversight and forensic processes used by state-owned entities in Limpopo.
