No sign of dodgy NLC-funded non-profit at the address it supplied during portfolio committee oversight tour.
The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) has introduced stringent new protocols for the allocation of grant funding, including the establishment of a new division to prevent the rampant corruption that has overwhelmed the organisation in recent years.
The establishment of the new Inspectorate for Due Diligence and Compliance was revealed in a presentation to members of the Trade, Industry and Competition parliamentary portfolio committee during an oversight visit last week to the NLC’s Pretoria headquarters.
The NLC Risk Division has also implemented fraud risk assessments to “identify fraud trends”, while internal audits would test “internal control and conduct and forensic investigations”, the NLC told MPs.
The current head of the risk division Marubini Ramatsekisa is on suspension and facing a disciplinary hearing for his alleged role in the looting of lottery funds.
Judy Hermans (ANC), who is the portfolio committee’s chairperson, said the committee had made two unannounced visits to NLC projects. “The committee was concerned about what would happen to incomplete capital projects currently under investigation. It urged the NLC to resolve these matters as far as possible,” she said.
Hermans said she was not mandated to comment on behalf of the ANC, which had previously vigorously defended the NLC in the face of evidence of widespread corruption. Instead, she referred GroundUp to committee member and ANC whip Simanga Mbuyane.
But Mbuyane failed to respond to a WhatsApp message asking him for comment on behalf of the party.
Mbuyane previously unsuccessfully attempted to have the media and representatives of civil society organisations barred from a public virtual meeting of the committee at which the appointment of a new board chairperson was discussed.
He has also previously questioned why GroundUp was following the activities of the NLC and blamed “an element of the third force.”
With the exception of single MPs from the FF+, DA, and EFF, the rest of the group that conducted the oversight visit were from the ANC.
Jaco Mulder (FF+) said his party welcomed “ongoing investigations of the SIU into allegations of fraud under the previous administration . as well as investigations and reports on fraud and irregular expenditure.
“The committee should carry out more physical, unannounced oversight visits more often to ensure the transformation to an accountable NLC under a new board,” he said.
Mat Cuthbert (DA) said, “Whilst we welcome the opportunity to have visited several hijacked NLC projects in order to ...