Veteran composer and producer of late Mandoza’s crossover hit, Nkalakatha, Gabi le Roux, has resigned from the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (Samro) board with immediate effect, just a day after his fitness to hold office was formally challenged by a fellow member.
Le Roux’s resignation, detailed in a scathing letter to the Samro board and executive, concludes three separate terms on the board and cites a profound disillusionment with the organisation’s direction, which he claims has stripped composers and authors of meaningful control.
“The actual creators of the music in [the] South African Music Rights Organisation… now have effectively been stripped of any effective control, other than a mere presence on the board, over the affairs of the organisation founded to protect our rights,” Le Roux wrote.
He asserted that total control is now held by a combination of independent directors, executives and publishers, leaving dissenting composer-directors isolated and labelled “a divisive element”.
The resignation follows a formal complaint lodged against Le Roux by fellow Samro member Sipho Sithole.
In a letter to the Samro chairperson on September 30, Sithole alleged that Le Roux had a serious conflict of interest and was using his board position to further a private business venture.
Sithole’s complaint included WhatsApp messages from Le Roux, in which he referred to “cutting-edge tech solutions for the devalued yet much-exploited status of music in the digital space” and claimed to be “sitting on a milestone for the global music economy”.
During their phone call, Le Roux had revealed that his solution involved blockchain technology that would make Samro’s royalty collection and distribution model obsolete.
“He further informed me that in future there will be no need for composers to go through Samro to receive their royalties, as this will be paid directly to them,” Sithole wrote.
He quoted Le Roux as saying he needed “one more term” on the board, which led him to conclude that Le Roux’s mission was to “collect whatever information or data he needs… and ultimately destroy or render Samro irrelevant”.
In his resignation letter, Le Roux did not comment on the conflict-of-interest allegations, but passionately defended his long-held advocacy for technological disruption. He lamented that since 2017, his pleas for Samro to investigate blockchain solutions had “fallen on deaf ears”.
“Samro [is] continuing business as if the current model is future-proof, when the real experts will all tell you that this collection and distribution model will be totally irrelevant in probably less than 3–4 years.”
The 69-year-old composer, who joined Samro 49 years ago, expressed his frustration with the organisation’s trajectory.
“Having endured massive emotional, professional- and reputational stress and damage, I now have no option but to tender my resignation,” he wrote, concluding that he could “no longer subject myself to such short-sighted and manipulative thinking or behaviour”.
The Samro board has not yet issued a public statement. The composer’s departure throws the spotlight on the intense internal debates within collection societies as they grapple with the disruptive forces of AI and blockchain technology.
