DA calls for a debate of national importance on the scandal-ridden National Lotteries Commission
4 March 2021
Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Thandi Modise, to request a debate of national importance in accordance with Section 130 (1-8) of the National Assembly rules on the scandal-ridden National Lotteries Commission (NLC).
Yesterday, GroundUp revealed that NLC board member Adv. William Huma allegedly received R5 million from a dormant non-profit organisation (NPO), which was used to purchase a luxury home in North West.
This money was meant to build an old age home in Mpumalanga.
Earlier this month, the DA called on Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ebrahim Patel to fire both Adv. Huma and currently suspended NLC COO Mr. Philemon Letwaba when The Mail & Guardian revealed that he had received two R1 Million payments from a company linked to suspended NLC COO, PhilemilonLetwaba. It was later revealed by GroundUp that the source of this funding was two NPOs funded by the NLC.
This call fell on deaf ears as has been the case for the last year when the DA has consistently called for the NLC board to be fired and the organisation placed under administration.
Not only have we supplied Minister Patel with the necessary legal provisions and political support he needs to get rid of the board through a series of letters addressed to him, but we have also continuously exposed alleged corruption and malfeasance at the NLC.
Examples of this include the criminal complaint against the NLC Board for failing to release lists of grant beneficiaries, the HangwaniMuluadzi scandal and the ANC-aligned NPO who received R5.5 million, despite not having a bank account.
Despite all of the prima facie evidence available in the public domain, Minister Patel has failed to act decisively against the NLC and its board.
His department’s limited investigation into corruption and malfeasance at the NLC has yielded no criminal charges, prosecutions or jail time for those responsible for depriving the most vulnerable in our society of much needed funding.
Ironically, President Ramaphosa, realising how incompetent his minister is at dealing with corruption in his own department, gazetted a proclamation in December 2020 for the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to look into corruption and malfeasance at the NLC.
We have used every parliamentary mechanism available to us thus far, to try and get Minister Patel to take this issue seriously but he has gladly continued in his role as “caretaker of corruption” at the NLC.
That is why we believe it is necessary to take this extraordinary step in order to hold the Minister to account for his inability to deal with this pressing matter. Therefore, we will be requesting that this debate is scheduled as soon as possible.
Issued by Mat Cuthbert,DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, 4 March 2021
