ZADNA CEO fired
The .ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) has informed Parliament that it is currently without a permanent CEO after its former chief executive, Molehe Wesi, was fired in June.
“After an investigation, we held a disciplinary hearing. On the 8th of June, the CEO was summarily dismissed,” ZADNA chairperson Palesa Legoze told the Portfolio Committee on Communications.
“We are now preparing for arbitration, which we hope will happen as soon as possible without any further delay.”
Legoze’s latest report came after she informed the subcommittee towards the end of last year that Wesi was on precautionary leave while ZADNA conducted a disciplinary hearing into alleged misconduct.
She did not elaborate on the nature of the investigation, only assuring the committee that ZADNA would inform them of the outcome.
While ZADNA remained tight-lipped about the investigation that led to Wesi being placed on precautionary leave and dismissed, MyBroadband saw the report implicating him in wrongdoing.
The report also revealed that ZADNA was in financial crisis, despite the agency’s claims to the contrary. It showed that its bank balances dwindled from several million to mere thousands in four years.
Conducted by a private firm of registered auditors and chartered accountants, the inquiry found that, in 2022, ZADNA had R7.4 million in the bank. By 2025, this had dropped to R32,166.
The investigators examining ZADNA’s alleged financial mismanagement were specifically asked to review the CEO’s travel expenses, entertainment claims, and company credit card usage.
It was alleged that Wesi had used ZADNA funds to buy expensive alcohol at high-end clubs and restaurants and had rented luxury cars in his home province even when he could have used his own vehicle.
He also allegedly continued to attend international conferences, flying business class and enjoying luxury accommodation, when remote options were available.
The investigators asked Wesi to provide details about the entertainment expenses charged to the ZADNA credit card.
According to the report, he was unable to satisfactorily account for many of the outings. It recommended that Wesi pay back around R200,000 and face disciplinary action.
ZADNA spent R1 million on investigation
ZADNA is a not-for-profit organisation that manages and regulates the .za namespace. This includes appointing and overseeing registry operators which administer second-level .za domains.
For example, co.za has been administered by the same organisation for 30 years, albeit under three different names: Uniforum SA, ZA Central Registry, and ZA Registry Consortium (ZARC).
Technically, ZARC is a joint venture between the ZA Central Registry and Domain Name Services as shareholders, but many of the same people remain involved.
Uniforum also took over and administered org.za, net.za, and web.za, a function which now falls to ZA Registry Consortium.
However, South Africa has several other second-level domains, including gov.za, mil.za, ac.za, edu.za, alt.za, nom.za, law.za, each administered by different people or organisations.
ZADNA is accountable to the South African Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, but does not currently receive government funding.
ZADNA’s income is derived from domain registration and renewal fees charged on domains that end with the .za country code top-level domain.
This means it is exempt from complying with the Public Finance Management Act. However, it submits and presents performance reports to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications.
Responding to questions from the committee about the financial implications of the litigation, Legoze said the ZADNA spent about R1 million on the investigation.
Legoze also said that Wesi had referred the matter to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), with arbitration set down for sometime in September 2026.
In the meantime, Advocate Lerato Seema has been appointed acting CEO of ZADNA. He also currently serves as Executive Manager: Compliance and Regulation for the agency.
MyBroadband contacted ZADNA for comment, but it said it could only provide an official response once the enquiry had gone through internal processes within its oversight structure.
Wesi declined to comment on his dispute with ZADNA. “I will respect the CCMA process and allow the matter to be dealt with through the proper channels,” he said.
“What I can say is that I remain proud of the work delivered during my tenure at ZADNA and my contribution to South Africa’s internet ecosystem.”
Loading ...