Daybreak Farms Chair Resigns After R625K Payment Scandal

As Daybreak Farms faced a catastrophic week with starving chickens and unpaid staff, chairperson Bojane Segooa secured a R625,000 payout before resigning abruptly, reports the Sunday Times.

The taxpayer-funded poultry producer, already reliant on billions in state support, had recently been denied a R1.5bn bailout by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC).

A Board in Chaos

• Segooa demanded immediate payment of R1.2 million in board fees before stepping down

• CFO Aubrey Dali resigned after Segooa stripped his payment authority

• Three other board members refused their fees “out of good conscience”

• PIC released R74m emergency funds for salaries and bird feed

“Have you paid board fees? Please send proof of payment,” Segooa texted Dali before bypassing him entirely.

Animal Welfare & Human Crisis

• 350,000+ chickens culled due to starvation (NSPCA called it “most taxing operation ever”)

• 3,400 workers unpaid for April, unable to access UIF benefits

• Supplier cutoffs left facilities without feed or telecom services

Failed State Investment

The PIC-backed company has spiraled since 2019:

• Went from R284 million profit (2020) to losses in 2023

• R200 million+ allegedly spent on “unrelated activities”

• Currently facing R42 million liquidation claim

The Government Employees Pension Fund stated: “These developments are a cause for concern…we requested the PIC to account.”

Daybreak’s statement acknowledged resignations but deferred comment pending investigations into “governance matters.”