Playwright Welcome Msomi has died

Msomi who was convicted of stealing R8 million from the Living Legends Legacy Programme trust fund in 2019 died on Friday at a hospital in KwaZulu-Natal following a short illness.

His lawyer Benito Mangolele confirmed to Sowetanlive that Msomi died and referred more questions to the family.

Msomi, whose health issues began in June last year when he collapsed went into a diabetic coma, died before he could be sentenced by the Palm Ridge Court.

In November last year he suffered a major stroke which left him paralyzed and since then he had not set his foot in court for his case to be prosecuted. In October last year, he was found guilty.

The legend who is known for shows such as uMabatha was on a R200 000 bail when he got sick last year. His fraud case has been postponed many times due to his ill health.

The theft of the R8 million happened in September 2018, on the day the money was transferred to the account by the department of arts and culture. The disappearance of the funds was discovered earlier this year by the fund's acting chairperson Letta Mbulu.