SIU making progress in lottery corruption investigations

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has completed more than a dozen investigations involving alleged National Lotteries Commission corruption, GroundUp has learned.

The SIU is expected to bring cases resulting from these investigations before the Special Tribunal, a type of court with the power to freeze the assets of people, companies and organisations implicated in corruption.

Among the dozen investigations which have been completed are some into dodgy multimillion-rand grants that were highlighted in a presentation to parliament by SIU head advocate Andy Mothibi in March.

Mothibi told parliament’s trade, industry and competition portfolio committee then that the SIU had identified R300 million in misappropriated funds involving 12 grants it had so far investigated.

He said the SIU was investigating about 50 grants.

Mothibi told parliament that the first phase of the SIU’s investigations would be completed by the end of the month and would be handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa “in April”.

Dossiers of evidence gathered by the SIU would also be handed to the National Prosecuting Authority so the people involved can be prosecuted, he said.

But spokesperson Tyrone Seale said a week ago that Ramaphosa had not yet received a copy of the report with the findings of the SIU’s investigation.

Mothibi’s presentation to parliament laid bare a litany of fraud, money laundering and networks of corruption involving a current lottery employee and his family, and two former lottery board members.

Although he did not name them, Mothibi was referring to NLC chief operating officer Phillemon Letwaba, former NLC chair Alfred Nevhutanda and William Huma, who resigned as a board member late last year after being confronted with evidence of his alleged corruption.

Mothibi told MPs how hijacked nonprofit organisations and shelf companies had been used to loot the lottery.

So far, only one matter has come before the tribunal since Ramaphosa issued a proclamation in 2020. This involved a preservation order against Inqaba Yokulinda, a nonprofit organisation that received over R19 million to build an athletics track in Kimberley; an IT company; and five people, including acting CEO of Athletics SA Terrence Magogodela.