Former BMF man blows whistle on ‘membership fraud, power grab’

The internal fighting and power struggle at the Black Management Forum (BMF) escalated again this week with former board member Papama Mnqandi demanding that the presidency of the organisation be dissolved. This comes after he made serious claims about the BMF’s capture, alleged financial wrongdoing and membership fraud at the 50-year-old organisation. In a letter addressed to all the members of the organisation dated August 28 2026, Mnqandi, the apparent nemesis to suspended BMF president, Mpho Motsei, accuses the organisation’s leadership of allowing the institution to slide into “capture, being held to ransom and decline” and warned that its 50-year legacy was at risk. The former national chairperson of the BMF Young Professionals, who describes himself as a BMF member in good standing, also called on members across the provinces and branches to unite against what he describes as a leadership cabal, and take back control of the organisation. Mnqandi accuses Motsei of leading a group that allegedly helped itself to BMF resources at BMF Investments (BMFi), the organisation’s commercial wing. He also alleges that Motsei attempted to silence him through court action after he raised concerns about the organisation. He warns that the crisis has now gone beyond an ordinary leadership dispute and threatens the very institutional character of the BMF. “The dangers that come with this are not episodic. They are systemic,” Mnqandi warned. He also complained about the July 31 Johannesburg High Court mediation order, claiming the process had effectively bought time for the embattled president while paralysing the BMF board. “The board’s ability to take further action has been hamstrung by mounting legal costs and the apparent stalemate in the mediation process. The organisation is now carrying the financial burden of litigation involving both the president and the board. The productivity of the organisation is, therefore, held at ransom in this way and the centre cannot hold.” The former board member claims that the crisis at BMF has also resulted in the appointment of a “bogus company secretary”, whom Mnqandi claims was brought into the organisation without following proper processes. In his letter, Mnqandi also dragged BMF’s managing director, Monde Ndlovu, accusing him of acting as an “aide” to Motsei. According to Mnqandi, several board members, including provincial leaders, have been denied access to their official BMF email accounts. He claims the accounts were deactivated after Motsei and individuals associated with an ICT company allegedly hired by the organisation took steps to restrict the directors’ access. Sunday World has previously reported that the emails of some of the BMF board of directors were deactivated. He further questioned why the ICT service provider had allegedly not been terminated or reported to regulatory authorities. “The managing director has not terminated the services of this ICT service provider that is clearly coopted and compromised,” he alleged. Mnqandi also raised eyebrows over the alleged release of BMF bank statements to Motsei during the mediation process, claiming this was done without the board’s involvement. He said he would lodge a formal grievance against Ndlovu and investigate what he described as the official’s role in the organisation’s current crisis. Another matter that the letter raises is that of “membership fraud”, which cites a Limpopo branch that was found to lay claim to having more than 400 members. Mnqandi pointed to payments of R250 000 in 2024 and R300 000 in 2025, which he alleges were connected to the disputed membership numbers. “BMF members should demand access to the organisation’s bank statements and investigate payments allegedly linked to the 2026 membership figures. “We are not a political party where some of this conduct has found common place,” he said. The fight has also spilled into BMFi, with Mnqandi claiming that the BMF had written to the investment entity seeking the recall of directors who allegedly remain there despite BMF resolutions. He accused the directors of blocking the organisation from accessing resources needed to move forward with its legal battle. “These are the same directors who stole from the BMF and are being allowed to evade accountability,” he alleged. He described the situation as “a heist” and called for members to treat it as a serious threat to the organisation. “This is no time for leadership succession excitement. It’s time to be sober and firm, rid ourselves of the thieves among us and deepen the strengthening of those institutional mechanisms that will protect the BMF from this kind of infiltration again. We have no choice left but to dissolve this presidency,” Mnqandi said. Motsei and Ndlovu had not responded to Sunday World’s enquiries at the time of going to print.