Msomi charged with theft
Playwright in custody after R8m stolen
WELL-KNOWN playwright and producer Welcome Msomi has been arrested and charged with theft of R8 million.
Msomi, 76, appeared IN the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court yesterday and was remanded in custody.
He is, among others, the chairperson of the board of trustees of the Living Legends Legacy Programme, from which the R8m went missing.
Msomi was arrested at the weekend in Durban by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit following a probe into the missing millions from the trust account of the programme early this year.
The legends programme was started by the Department of Arts and Culture last year.
“A trust was set up in order to empower living legends when it comes to accessing opportunities available to them,” Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha said.
Some of the members of the programme include Don Mattera, Letta Mbulu, Jonas Gwangwa, Wally Serote, Abigail Kubeka and Babsy Mlangeni.
At the launch of the programme, Msomi spoke about how the trust would help the legends access better opportunities.
“We are planning on creating more productions in our languages.
“This is a great platform to rise and perform all our productions in various languages,” he had said. Msomi had added that he was inspired by the late icon Nelson Mandela to continue with his production, uMabatha.
“When we met in New York, all Madiba could ask for was ‘uphi uMabatha’,” he had said.
Msomi was a nominee for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer.
His work as a playwright, choreographer and producer has seen him receive critical acclaim internationally.
His work uMabatha, a Zulu adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, also received world acclaim. Msomi choreographed the presidential inauguration for Mandela in 1994.
He also directed the 75th birthday of the late president, and served as chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission.
To date, the Arts and Culture Department has set aside an amount of R20m in aid of the programme.
On Saturday, Minister Nathi Mthethwa welcomed the news of the arrest.
Msomi is expected to appear in court again on April 2.