South African lottery probe forces Sunday Times editor to step aside
Makhudu Sefara denied wrongdoing.
South Africa.- Sunday Times editor Makhudu Sefara has taken special leave from his newsroom role and stepped down temporarily as chair of the South African National Editors’ Forum after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) linked his former company to lottery grant payments under investigation.
The move comes as scrutiny intensifies over alleged misuse of National Lotteries Commission grants, a long-running probe that has now reached South Africa’s media sector.
According to the SIU, R3.2m (€158,000) linked to two NLC-funded projects has been recovered, including funds from a 2018 grant worth R1.5m (€74,000) awarded to the Todi Media Development Foundation for a development journalism programme.
According to the SIU, R550,000 (€27,000) from that grant was paid to Unscripted Communication, a company directed by Sefara at the time. Investigators allege that part of the funding was diverted from its approved purpose. The SIU said Todi Media director Khutso Daniel Makwela later admitted to the misuse of funds and repaid the full grant amount by March 2026.
Sefara denied wrongdoing, saying the payment covered legitimate services linked to a community media conference held near Johannesburg in December 2018. He said more than 50 participants attended the event and argued that his company had been contracted as a service provider.
Arena Holdings, publisher of the Sunday Times, said an independent investigation would examine the allegations, while veteran journalist Mike Siluma is serving as acting editor.
The case has intensified scrutiny of governance failures linked to South Africa’s lottery funding system, which has faced multiple investigations over grants intended for community and development projects. The SIU said repayment of funds does not preclude further legal consequences, and the matter has been referred for additional action.
