South African Music Rights Organisation (Samro) chief operating officer Mpho Mofikoe has claimed that her recent suspension from the organisation was punishment for fighting fraud.
Mofikoe stated in a letter written to Samro human resources department that the entity’s management was retaliating against her for bringing wrongdoing under the microscope.
In fact, Mofikoe has made several complaints, one of which resulted in a forensic probe whose “final report by Fundudzi Forensics in June 2023 implicated several members of the board”.
Mofikoe had alleged that various publishers had obtained over R60-million from Samro fraudulently, and that the organisation’s board members were involved. And insiders claimed that this earned Mofikoe the CEO, Annabell Lebethe’s wrath.
At a tense extraordinary general meeting last month, Mofikoe allegedly made sweeping accusations, including against board members.
Sunday World previously reported that Mofikoe had claimed that Samro chairperson, Nicholas Maweni, had sent an associate’s CV to his general manager of marketing, communication and CSI, Kgomotso Mosenogi, and asked that the person be considered for a managerial position.
In her recent letter to HR, Mofikoe identifies the alleged candidate as Evile Dukashe, the project manager in the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.
She continues: “This is not the first time I have raised concerns regarding poor governance and misconduct by the Samro board.
“In 2022, I led an investigation that uncovered and addressed serious allegations brought against some of the board members. I am, therefore, compelled to formally raise a grievance regarding sustained and escalating misconduct, ethics violations, and abuse of authority by members of the Samro board.
“[My] concerns include the inappropriate use of organisational resources, disregard for fiduciary responsibilities, and intimidation of individuals who raise legitimate questions [against the board].”
Mofikoe said since her crusade against wrongdoing started, she has had a frosty relationship with Lebethe.
On May 16, Mofikoe wrote to Khambane, and Lebethe to raise her concerns about what she referred to as governance breaches, executive misconduct, board interference and the CEO retaliating against whistleblowers at Samro.
She claimed that Samro hauled her before a disciplinary hearing, though it was later abandoned, to punish her.
She said such intimidation and abuse of power against whistleblowers was “collapsing good governance and enabling institutional capture with serious legal, reputational and operational implications for Samro”.
“Unfortunately, these actions have also resulted in an objectively intolerable work environment, constituting grounds for constructive dismissal.”
She also said that it was common at Samro for confidential information to be misused, such as board members exploiting confidential management reports and other privileged information to advance their commercial interests.
Eclipse Communications on behalf of Samro said it was unusual for board members to refer skilled workers for employment consideration at the organisation but when it happens, it is properly vetted.
“Any such referral is directed through our robust Human Resources and recruitment policies to ensure a fair, competitive and transparent process for all applicants. There has been no attempt by the board chair or anyone else to bypass these stringent protocols.
“[Anyway], it was determined that the individual did not meet the requirements and consequently, did not progress to the interview stage.
“You will appreciate that Samro is not able to comment further, so failure to address the specific questions in your enquiry should therefore be understood in that light.”
