Makhudu Sefara, editor of the Sunday Times, was placed on “special leave” hours after it emerged that a company he solely owned was linked to a lottery-funded project under investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).
His company, Unscripted Communication, received four payments totaling R550,000 between 21 November and 12 December 2018 from Todi Media Foundation for a lottery-funded media project, according to the SIU. A R1.5 million grant awarded to Todi was intended to cover expenses such as journalists’ accommodation, car hire, catering, equipment rental, guest speakers, marketing, and security.
However, the SIU says the funds were not used for their intended purpose. Instead, R550,000 was paid to Sefara’s company, while a further R900,000 was transferred to Black Danagaree, a company owned by Daniel Malatji, the father of former Sunday World acting editor Ngwako Malatji.
The funds were later used in transactions linked to the purchase of a house in Bassonia Rock Extension, Johannesburg, registered in the names of Ngwako Malatji and his wife, Martha Malatji, who is also a director of Todi.
The payments to Sefara’s company were made months before he was appointed editor of Sunday World in July 2019. Unscripted Communication, registered in May 2018, was deregistered in January 2024 for failing to submit annual financial returns.
Sefara, who is also chairperson of the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF), said in a statement that at the time he received the funds, he was running a private company not linked to any institution. He said he organized a training workshop for 50 print and radio journalists near OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
“The facts are plain and available to the SIU,” he said. “The event took place and was attended by over 50 people. Accommodation and flights were paid for. The event included speakers such as the GCIS deputy head at the time. I facilitated the event.” SANEF executive director Reggy Moalusi said the organization would issue a statement on the matter, but none had been released at the time of publication.
Nwabiso Makunga, managing director for news at Arena Holdings (owner of the Sunday Times), said Sefara had denied wrongdoing and provided his account of events. He added that management had decided to give Sefara time to address the allegations and clear his name. Arena Holdings will appoint an independent investigator, and Sefara will remain on special leave pending the outcome.
The SIU confirmed that Todi has since repaid the full grant. A second grant involved in the SIU investigation was paid in March 2019 to Zibsiflo, a shelf company. Martha Malatji, wife of former Sunday World acting editor Ngwako Malatji, became a director after the company was acquired.
Within three months, Zibsiflo applied for an R8.2 million grant for women’s soccer clinics but was awarded R1.7 million. After the funds were disbursed on 28 February, R1.4 million was transferred to Black Dangaree, a company owned by Martha Malatji’s father-in-law, Daniel Malatji. A further R200,000 was paid to Charles Malatji.
On 28 June, R900,000 was paid to attorneys involved in the purchase of a house in Johannesburg South, registered to Martha and Ngwako Malatji. The SIU says the funds were not used for their intended purpose and that the directors could not account for the expenditure. The full R1.7 million was later repaid.
In a joint statement, the directors of Zibsiflo and Todi Media Development Foundation acknowledged “regrettable mistakes and missteps” and confirmed repayment of both grants. They added: “We accept that funds intended for charitable purposes must be managed with transparency and accountability. The SIU advised that the grants were not used as intended and requested repayment. Both entities complied in full.”
The SIU said it would refer Black Dangaree and Todi Media to the National Prosecuting Authority for possible money laundering charges. As early as 2019, GroundUp raised concerns about Sunday World’s relationship with the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), which was already facing corruption allegations.
In November 2019, GroundUp published: Does Sunday World want to do journalism or be a defender of corruption? At the time, Sefara was editor. In August 2023, another investigation titled Exposed: The Sunday World’s lucrative partnership with the Lottery detailed how the newspaper received a disproportionate share of NLC advertising revenue during Sefara’s tenure.
Concerns were later raised within SANEF. Veteran journalist Anton Harber called for an independent inquiry, arguing that SANEF could not credibly investigate internally due to Sefara’s senior role in the organization. A debate followed within SANEF but calls for an inquiry were rejected. Geffen later left the organization, and in 2025, Sefara was elected chair of SANEF.
