The standoff between local artists and the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) is escalating, as a coalition of musicians under the banner Artists United threatens to stage a full-scale march on Thursday. The Artists United are accusing SAMRO of failing to uphold transparency, accountability, and good governance.
This follows a picket held earlier this week outside SAMRO’s Johannesburg headquarters, where artists handed over a memorandum of demands calling for urgent action from the board. In the strongly worded document, the artists accuse the board of maladministration, poor governance, and failure to act on serious allegations of misconduct within the organisation.
“We are unshaken and uncompromising in our call for good governance, transparency, accountability, and respect for the laws that govern SAMRO,” the memorandum reads in part.
The artists’ memorandum underscores that SAMRO operates as a non-profit company governed by the Companies Act (Act No. 71 of 2008), which legally binds it to conduct its affairs in a fair and transparent manner. They further reference Section 4(2)(a) of the Act, which prohibits unfair discrimination in the regulation of membership, warning that any attempt to sideline or silence dissenting members would amount to a violation of the Constitution’s equality clause.
At the centre of the dispute is the suspension of SAMRO’s Chief Operations Officer, Mpho Mofikoe, who earlier this year blew the whistle on alleged governance failures and irregularities during an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on 10 July 2025.
Litany of demands
Artists United’s demands include:
- Progress on investigations into the top 60 unlawful beneficiaries cited in the Fundudzi Forensic Investigation Report.
- A probe into alleged board interference in the forensic investigation process.
- Protection for whistleblowers, including Mofikoe, who reportedly faced intimidation and pressure to withdraw her statements.
- A detailed accounting of security measures and funds allocated to protect the suspended COO after her disclosures.
Board word not worth its weight
The artists also cite remarks made by former board chairperson Nicholas Maweni during the July EGM, when he assured Mofikoe of protection, saying: “It would be irresponsible of us as the Board to do that to you as an employee. You are protected.”
However, artists say that 116 days have passed since that assurance, with no visible progress or communication from the board. They claim this silence constitutes retaliation by omission, arguing that certain board members named in the Fundudzi report remain in their positions despite the serious allegations.
On November 3, they gave the SAMRO board 24 hours to respond. Failure to do so, they said, would confirm deliberate inaction and a failure in fiduciary and ethical duties.
Speaking on behalf of Artists United, media personality, actress, and playwright Jayshree Parasuramen, said: “On Monday, we held a picket mainly to highlight the issues raised by suspended COO Mpho Mofikoe in her grievances and during the EGM. As a whistleblower, she was supposed to be protected and she was assured she would be. Unfortunately, that did not happen. We were expecting a response to our memorandum within 24 hours, but we haven’t received it. This silence on the matter means that we have to intensify the upcoming march.
Taking to the streets
“The march will take place on November 13 and it will focus on governance issues, including the distribution of royalties, the Fundudzi report, and the unlawful reinstatement of certain board members. On 4 December, SAMRO will hold its AGM, and we fear the board might try to suppress our voices as they did in August at the EGM. We are therefore calling on all artists including religious music groups to stand with us as we fight for the soul of our industry,” Parasuramen added.
Repeated attempts to solicit comment from SAMRO – from as far back as Wednesday, drew a blank.
