Pfanani Lishivha 

Pfanani Lishivha is a results-driven business executive with more than 20 years’ experience in executive management, specialising in the field of collective rights administration and specifically the rights of South African recording artists. His proven management skills are bolstered by his 25-plus years in research and development, as well as in policymaking and regulations drafting.

Prior to joining SAMPRA as CEO, Pfanani worked at ICASA, South Africa’s broadcasting and telecommunications regulator, as Senior Manager: Policy Development and Research. After leaving ICASA, he joined SAMRO and held various executive roles in business development, performers’ rights, and customer services.

Since joining SAMPRA as CEO in 2017, SAMPRA has processed and distributed just under R2b of Neighbouring Rights royalties. He has been responsible for ensuring SAMPRA’s stability. Thanks in large part to his efforts, this comparatively young CMO is on par with the best and oldest CMOs in the rest of the world. It efficiently documents and distributes Neighbouring Rights royalties to recording artists and record companies whose recordings have been performed in public.

Pfanani has been the driving force behind SAMPRA being accepted as the only African CMO that is a member of SCAPR and IFPI, international federations of Neighbouring Rights CMOs for performers and record companies respectively. SAMPRA’s membership of SCAPR has culminated in SAMPRA hosting the SCAPR General Assembly in May 2024, the first time the GA has been held on African soil.

SAMPRA has also concluded more than 70 reciprocal agreements with its counterparts in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Under Pfanani’s stewardship, SAMPRA launched the SAMPRA Development Fund (“the Fund”) in August 2020. The Fund’s main aim is to be responsible for SAMPRA’s CSI through support for the music industry in a number of areas including retirement savings and funeral cover for SAMPRA’s performer members, training and professional development for recording artists and independent record companies, music production, touring and travel support, financing of live performances, and funding aimed at preserving South Africa’s diverse cultural heritage.