Arena Holdings has reinstated Sunday Times editor Makhudu Sefara after an independent investigation found no evidence of misconduct relating to a R550 000 payment made to his company in 2018.
The media company announced on Sunday that it had lifted Sefara’s special leave following an investigation by Werksmans Attorneys, which concluded there was no basis for a finding of misconduct or impropriety against him.
Sefara was placed on special leave in April after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) issued a public statement concerning payments linked to Todi Media, prompting Arena to commission an independent review.
According to Arena, investigators examined the service level agreement between Todi Media and Sefara’s company, Unscripted Communication, as well as bank records, invoices, receipts, photographs from the event, reports submitted after the conference and correspondence between Sefara, his legal representatives and the SIU.
No evidence
The investigation found that the media conference for which Unscripted Communication had been contracted was held as planned, that the agreed services were delivered and that Sefara was directly involved in planning and executing the event.
Werksmans also found no evidence that the R550 000 payment had been diverted, misappropriated or received without services being rendered.
Arena said the SIU had informed Sefara’s attorneys that he was not the subject of its investigation and that no findings had been made against him. It added that the SIU’s investigation focused on Todi Media, which had acknowledged liability and repaid a National Lotteries Commission (NLC) grant after accepting that the funding had not been used for its intended purpose.
Lottery corruption
The matter forms part of the SIU’s broader investigation into alleged corruption and the misuse of National Lotteries Commission funding, which has examined how millions of rand in grants intended for charitable and community projects were allegedly diverted through non-profit organisations and private companies.
Todi Media was among the entities scrutinised during those investigations.
Sefara was linked to the matter because Unscripted Communication was paid by Todi Media to organise a media conference in December 2018. Following the SIU’s public statement in April, Arena placed him on special leave while it investigated whether the payment amounted to misconduct or affected his suitability to continue as editor.
In its statement, Arena said it remained committed to supporting the SIU’s constitutional mandate to investigate corruption and the misuse of public funds, while also ensuring that employment decisions are based on all available evidence and demonstrable facts.
