Makhudu Sefara steps aside as SANEF chairperson

28 April 2026

The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) held an urgent management committee (Mancom) meeting on the evening of Tuesday, 28 April 2026, at which its chairperson, Makhudu Sefara, stepped down pending an investigation.

This followed an earlier statement issued by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) where allegations of misappropriation of lottery funds were made against Sefara and others.

Sefara was afforded an opportunity to give his version of the events at the meeting, where he denied the allegations. He offered to step aside from his role at SANEF while he responds to the allegations.

SANEF’s Mancom accepted this decision and appointed Tshamano Makhadi, the current deputy chairperson, as acting chairperson.

Furthermore, SANEF has decided to appoint an independent legal team to evaluate the evidence and to report back as soon as possible.

The questions around the lottery funds stem from 2018, when Sefara was not working as a journalist or involved in SANEF.

Ends.

Note to Editors:

The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists, and journalism trainers from all areas of South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics, and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism by fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, conducting research, and providing education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.

Twitter: @SAEditorsForum

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.SANEF.org.za