Johannesburg – Cosatu has expressed concern amid repeated allegations of corruption and poor governance at the National Lotteries Commission.
The federation said the allegations include money allocated to but never received by various developmental projects.
“South Africa and the government cannot afford to treat such allegations lightly given the pandemic of corruption that is consuming both the public and private sector. There is more than R130 billion worth of funds at stake in the NLC,” said Cosatu national spokesperson Sizwe Pamla.
“The Lottery Board is dysfunctional and has failed to build confidence in many South Africans who are already wary of industrial-scale looting,” he said.
Pamla said the federation welcomes and supports the efforts made by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ebrahim Patel, and the Special Investigations Unit to tackle the serious allegations of corruption bedevilling the NLC.
“We call on the government to consider appealing the recent court judgment because the court has failed to clarify what should happen in the event of the chairpersonship becoming vacant.”
“Parliament needs to move with speed to conclude the appointment of a permanent chair and then amend the Act to provide for procedures to appoint acting chairs in the future,” he said.
Pamla said the investigations need to be sped up, the accused should be charged and prosecuted, and the looted assets should be attached.
He added that the silence of the NLC about these allegations is deafening and potentially revealing.
“Whilst the National Lottery Act may be vague on the appointment of an interim chair for the board, we agree with Minister Patel’s decision to appoint an acting chair. Sitting idly and doing nothing will have been a dereliction of responsibility,” said Pamla.
He said the Trade, Industry, and Competition department, and the SIU need to speed up their investigations into the NLC.
Pamla added that there is a need for a public audit of all its funding programs, including conducting lifestyle audits of board members.
“We cannot afford to be complacent in the face of corruption allegations and corporate malfeasance,” he said.