What the roleplayers say about funding
Key players have responded to the questions surrounding the awarding of Lottery monies to non-profits associated with controversial Pretoria attorney Lesley Ramulifho.
Ramulifho failed to answer detailed questions e-mailed to him.
Instead he responded: “Your various repeated articles and e-mail questions about me since last year are well noted and frankly exhausting to read.
“On Denzhe – you have repeated same issues enough and I’m happy to answer any new questions in this regard. To this point this matter was fully ventilated and settled from the NPO standpoint. On the other two NPOs, my advice to you is to contact the relevant directors of the said NPOs and ask whatever questions you deem fit. Accordingly, I’m not a director of either or a spokesperson thereof.”
When clarification of his answers was sought, Ramulifho responded: “I don’t work for you Raymond. Stop harassing me.”
Liesl Moses, listed as one of the directors of the latest Ramulifho-associated non-profits to be funded by the Lotteries Commission, said: “We are under a confidentiality and nondisclosure clause agreement with our funders.
“Should you wish to get any information relating to the grants, kindly address the same to the funder [Lotteries Commission].”
But, she added: “We will be happy to invite you and your newsmakers for the opening of these new toilets school facilities upon completion to help
you write more constructive stories around our black school pupils dying in the toilet pits.”
Denying that Ramulifho was involved in the two latest nonprofit companies to receive Lottery funding, she said: “We cannot speak on behalf of Mr Ramulifho and you will be better served if you refer any questions relating to him directly.”
Lotteries Commission communications head Ndivhuho Mafela also avoided answering specific and detailed questions about the funding and the relationship between Ramulifho and the people involved, saying: “It is bizarre for you to expect the Lotteries Commission to answer questions about people’s private personal relationships due to the fact that they are mere beneficiaries.
“The Lotteries Commission deals with registered organisations, a fact that you deliberately ignore at all cost. The three organisations listed in the query (IAM4GG, Dinosys and Zibsifusion) are beneficiaries of the Lottery, and funding was recently granted to them.
“These projects are under way, and the normal National Lotteries Commission process of monitoring progress reports and monitoring and evaluation are also being implemented as per each organisation’s grant agreement.
“It is important to note that the Lotteries Commission does not fund individuals, but organisations in the form of NGOs, NPCs and other Public Benefit Organisations and that relationship with a beneficiary is governed by a grant agreement which is a civil contract.”