The editor of South Africa’s largest weekly newspaper was suspended after a corruption investigation found that public lottery money for a journalism workshop he organized in 2018 was funneled to a company he owned. The episode raises new questions about parallel income streams for journalists that have become a feature in the country’s cash-strapped media industry.
Around $33,000 meant for the workshop was paid to a company directed by Sunday Times Editor Makhudu Sefara before he took up the post, according to the findings of a probe by a state anti-corruption agency published on Tuesday. Investigators say the case showed “a coordinated scheme in which public funds meant for community upliftment were diverted into private pockets and toward property purchases.” Sefara has denied wrongdoing, saying he was between jobs at the time and that the workshop took place in 2018 as planned.
The scandal lands at a moment of deep financial strain for South Africa’s news industry, which has pushed many senior journalists toward taking on concurrent consulting work that can sit uncomfortably close to their editorial roles.