Former Arthur Mafokate ally and former label manager of 999 Music, Brian Mokoena, says he feels vindicated by the recent SIU investigation
This comes after Mafokate failed to prevent the seizure of his lavish Midrand guest house acquired with funds from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) which were acquired to help the poor youth.
On Tuesday, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, dismissed an application by the veteran musician and producer to have his luxury guest house released from a preservation order.
On December 21, 2022, the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) obtained an order to preserve the property situated at 85 Carlswald Road in Midrand.
Mokoena blew the whistle on some of the irregular activities by Mafokate’s South African Arts Development Association (SAADA), a non-profit entity aimed at uplifting artists.
“I have been vindicated. Now the lawyers who produced the sham report and the accountants who cooked the books must be dealt with,” Mokoena said.
In a letter by the NLC, addressed to Mokoena and Mafokate, in 2020, the NLC investigating team indicated that there were various issues of conflict of interests and disregard of proper corporate governance at SAADA, with some of the board members made up of personal friends and relatives.
However, the same letter suggests that even though no proper minutes were taken and kept, the NLC was updated and furnished with progress reports at all times.
In its latest judgment, Independent Media reported that the NPA said Mafokate, who was the sole director of 999 Music, failed to account for the R9.3 million he received from the NLC.
“This followed investigations conducted by the Special Investigating Unit into the National Lotteries Commission, which revealed that the South African Arts and Development Association was granted R9.3m to assist unemployed youth in the poor and rural areas of the country, to impact skills in music, business video, film production, dance, and the overall business of radio,” according to Lumka Mahanjana, the Gauteng regional spokesperson for the NPA.
Last year, in a leaked recording, Mokoena accused Mafokate of corruption following a preservation order by the NPA, AFU and SIU to expropriate five properties, including the one his bid has failed to protect.
Mafokate’s organisation was one of the companies and entities accused of defrauding the NLC of more than R56m meant for community development projects.
The SIU said it welcomed the high court’s dismissal of Mafokate’s attempt to cancel preservation order for NLC-funded property in Midrand, saying the judgement paves a way for the forfeiture application.
“This judgment paves the way for the forfeiture application to go ahead and possibly recover the money that the NLC lost. The preservation order of the Midrand property is part of the implementation of SIU’s investigation outcomes and consequence management to recover cash and assets lost by State institutions due to alleged corruption or negligence,” the unit said
Attempts to get comment from Mafokate and his accountant, whom Mokoena accused of cooking the books, were unsuccessful at the time of going to print.
The Star