DA reveals details about R5.5 million mystery lotto project

4 December 2020

Yesterday, the Daily Maverick published an article entitled “Mystery of R5.5-million Lottery grant” where they highlighted an NGO by the name of Uprising Youth Development who claim to have never received the money disbursed to them by the National Lotteries Commission's (NLC).

They also revealed the NLC's strange decision to award a project in the Northern Cape to a relatively unknown NGO based in Louis Trichardt, Limpopo.

Most interesting is the fact that this money was granted through the proactive funding mechanism. Which implies “...that a worthy project is identified (following proper research) and an “operator” is found to manage the project”.

However, today the Democratic Alliance (DA) can reveal that this organisation is closely aligned with the African National Congress (ANC).

Despite their website not being functional and their Facebook account being sparsely populated, the organisation has left a trail of evidence linking them to the ANC.

Photographic evidence reveals that they work closely with the local ANC branch in Makhado Municipality and often embark on projects together such as the distribution of food parcels in party regalia and door to door political campaigns.

See pictures here, here, here, and here. 

How is it possible that the NLC failed to pick this up prior to granting this organisation the R5.5 million? Or did it intentionally fund the ANC's political campaign?

Furthermore, an internal Department of Social Development (DSD) document we have seen has revealed that this organisation had not filed reports for two separate financial years.

It is clear that the NLC and DSD performed no due diligence before granting this funding and are complicit in any legal ramifications that may result out of this expose.

The DA submitted parliamentary questions to Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu, back in September regarding this matter and she has still not responded in fear of exposing her own party.

In light of these serious allegations of corruption, we will be writing to the President's Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to include this project in their investigation into the NLC.

Issued by Mat Cuthbert, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, 4 December 2020