The Labour and Artists Community Organisation (LACO) is taking its campaign against the leadership of the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) directly to the organisation’s offices on Tuesday, with CEO Annabelle Lebethe firmly in its sights.
LACO is set to picket SAMRO, demanding Lebethe’s removal as chief executive and the reinstatement of suspended chief operating officer Mpho Mofikoe.
The protest comes weeks after a court dismissed Lebethe’s harassment application against SAMRO member and activist Owen Ndlovu, with the judgment finding that material information had not been disclosed when she obtained an interim protection order against him.
The judgment has now become a new weapon in LACO’s campaign against the SAMRO CEO.
The court found that Lebethe’s application had been based on “half truths and incomplete information”, including omissions relating to Ndlovu’s claim that he was carrying a firearm for his own protection, the circumstances surrounding his presence at SAMRO and the fact that his lease had already been terminated before the incident relied upon in the application.
The court ultimately dismissed the application and discharged the interim protection order.
LACO has seized on those findings to question whether Lebethe still has the credibility and integrity required to lead SAMRO.
However, the distinction between the court’s findings and LACO’s interpretation of them is important. The court did not make a blanket finding that Lebethe is a dishonest person. Rather, LACO is using the court’s findings about the non-disclosure of material information as part of its argument that she is no longer fit to lead the organisation.
In a statement announcing Tuesday’s protest, LACO said:
“We are going there because no one seems to listen. The CEO, Annabelle cannot be sitting as the CEO SAMRO. The Fundudzi report found a lot of irregularities and it wasn’t followed through. Instead the whistle-blower, COO, Mpho was suspended for telling the truth. For those reasons we are going to assist the artists, we want Annabelle to be removed as the CEO. We need someone with integrity to lead. If they don’t listen we will mobilize artists, we want her and her cabal out. We also want Mpho to be re-instated because she was unfairly suspended.
The protest therefore extends beyond the court battle between Lebethe and Ndlovu.
LACO is also placing the controversial Fundudzi forensic investigation and Mofikoe’s suspension at the centre of its demands.
The Fundudzi investigation examined allegations surrounding irregular royalty claims at SAMRO. An investigation by Daily Maverick reported that the probe concerned allegations involving royalty claims worth tens of millions of rand and that Mofikoe had discussed the findings with members before her suspension.
SAMRO, however, has strongly rejected the suggestion that the COO was suspended for exposing wrongdoing.
The organisation confirmed that Mofikoe was placed on precautionary suspension with effect from 4 August 2025, but said the suspension was not retaliatory. According to SAMRO, it followed preliminary findings pointing to potential internal transgressions and was intended to allow an impartial process to proceed.
SAMRO has also rejected claims that the Fundudzi investigation was buried.
In a statement responding to allegations about its governance, the organisation said the forensic investigation identified potential fraudulent royalty claims by certain members and a former employee, that remedial steps had been implemented and that the matter had been referred to SAPS and the Hawks. SAMRO said the full report could not be made public while law-enforcement processes were continuing.
The organisation has further disputed the description of Mofikoe as a whistle-blower, saying the investigation was commissioned by the board and that her suspension was unrelated to the forensic investigation.
Those competing versions are now at the heart of LACO’s confrontation with SAMRO.
For LACO, the suspension of Mofikoe is evidence of an organisation punishing someone who raised concerns. SAMRO says the suspension followed preliminary findings of potential misconduct and was part of an internal disciplinary process.
The Fundudzi report has previously triggered intense controversy within SAMRO, including allegations concerning irregular royalty claims.
Against that backdrop, LACO is now demanding that the board act against Lebethe.
The organisation’s argument is effectively that SAMRO cannot restore confidence in its governance while its CEO remains in office despite the court findings and the unresolved controversy surrounding the organisation’s internal affairs.
It is also threatening to escalate its campaign.
“If they don’t listen we will mobilize artists,” LACO said, adding that it wants Lebethe and her “cabal” out.
Lebethe was appointed SAMRO CEO in January 2023 after a selection process conducted by the organisation’s board. SAMRO said at the time that it was confident she possessed the qualities and experience required to lead the organisation.
The latest protest therefore represents a significant challenge to that leadership mandate.
It also puts the spotlight squarely on SAMRO’s board.
