SIU ( SPECIAL INVESTIGATING UNIT ) CORRUPTION NLC ( NATIONAL LOTTERIES COMMISSION ) @KASIBC_NEWS

SIU ( SPECIAL INVESTIGATING UNIT )  CORRUPTION NLC ( NATIONAL LOTTERIES COMMISSION ) @KASIBC_NEWS 

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) welcomes the damning and long-overdue findings of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) into the grand-scale corruption that has ravaged the National Lotteries Commission (NLC). 

We commend the work of the SIU in exposing the rot that has characterised the operations of the NLC, and we reaffirm our commitment to holding accountable all criminals who have looted public resources under the guise of serving the people. 

The SIU’s investigation, carried out under Proclamation No. R.32 of 2020, has laid bare the depth of collusion, maladministration, and flagrant theft by senior officials and board members of the NLC most notably Philemon Letwaba, the former Chief Operating Officer, who was at the centre of corrupt grant allocations to entities linked to his family Professor Alfred Nevhutanda, a former Chairperson of the NLC Board, under whose leadership corruption flourished and who personally benefited from misappropriated funds and Advocate William Huma, a former Board Member, who is alleged to have used his legal expertise to enable and shield corrupt activities from scrutiny. 

These individuals, masquerading as leaders, orchestrated a criminal enterprise using front companies, fake non-profits, and family-linked entities to siphon billions from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund money that was meant to uplift the poor and fund community development. The EFF is not surprised by these revelations. 

We have consistently warned the country about the ANC’s systematic project to hollow out public institutions for selfenrichment. 

The corruption at the NLC is not an isolated incident but part of a broader state capture project spearheaded by ANC cadres who view public funds as personal bank accounts. 

According to the SIU, the value of corrupt contracts under investigation totals a staggering R2 billion. Luxury properties, international travel, and lavish lifestyles were funded with money meant for orphanages, community sports facilities, and arts projects. This is a moral and criminal betrayal of the most vulnerable in our society. Even more concerning is the enabling role played by so-called professional service providers, accounting firms, auditors, and lawyers who submitted fraudulent documentation and rubber-stamped theft under the cover of legal and financial legitimacy. 

These firms, many of which continue to operate in other spheres of government through outsourced mandates, must be blacklisted and criminally prosecuted. We note with interest the move by SCOPA to request further investigation into the political links between NLC board members and ANC politicians. 

The EFF demands that the SIU follow the money trail without fear or favour, and that any evidence pointing to political beneficiaries whether sitting ministers, ANC deployees, or their families be made public and handed to the National Prosecuting Authority. 

The EFF will not rest until: 

a) Every implicated official, board member, and enabler is arrested, charged, and imprisoned. 

b) All properties and assets bought with stolen lottery funds are seized and returned to the state. 

c) Audit and legal firms found to have colluded in this scheme are deregistered and permanently banned from public contracts. 

d) Political actors involved in the capture of the NLC are named and shamed and held accountable. 

We further warn the ANC against any attempt to re-capture or interfere with the future restructuring of the NLC. This comes as there are mounting reports that Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau is set to award the operating license for the National Lottery to Gold Rush Consortium, a company with ties to the ANC through owners Sandile Zungu and Moses Tembe. 

The awarding of this contract worth R180 billion to ANC-benefactors would be unlawful according to the National Lotteries Act and would amount to a further use of the National Lottery to benefit the lifestyles of ANC politicians. 

The Commission must be rebuilt under strict parliamentary oversight, with no room for ANC-linked looters or their proxies. 

The people of South Africa deserve leaders who serve, not steal.