Kwaito star Arthur Mafokate involved in payola scandal
Kwaito star Arthur Mafokate has been implicated in a payola scandal following an internal forensic report by the SABC Group Executive for Corporate Affairs, Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
Motsoeneng commissioned the investigation into payola corruption after receiving complaints from artists. Arthur Mafokate is a local kwaito legend and the owner of 999 Records.
“The whistle-blowers are also complicit, and, as you know that corruption is two-ways, there will be action taken against them. We are still deciding on what to do about them as some are service providers at the SABC. I’m not chasing people away. I’m chasing corruption out of the SABC. I’m here at the SABC to love people. When you do wrong things, you must be punished,” said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
He has decided to dismiss the compilers that have been singled out by the investigation.
Interestingly enough, Arthur Mafokate was allegedly one of those artists who complained about the bribery and corruption by the playlist compilers.
“Some of the people who complained are record label owners who used to pay our staff money to play their music. I received the report last week and we are still going through it. The whistle-blowers were complicit in the bribery scandal as they all confessed that they used to give money to music compilers so they can play their music on air. What I detected from the report is that the problem started when they (compilers) started not playing their music. That’s when they ran to us to complain,” he said.
Another thing that implicates Mafokate is the workshop he organised for the broadcasters’ regional compilers, without the authorisation of the SABC.
Arthur Mafokate allegedly paid for the transport and accommodation for all the compilers as well, when this should have been covered by the SABC.
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