Appointment of new lottery board chair inches forward

The DA voted against the report proposing three candidates to chair the National Lotteries Commission. Graphic: Lisa Nelson

The names of three candidates to chair the National Lotteries Commission have been submitted to Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau.

The report by Parliament’s portfolio committee recommending the three candidates to replace outgoing National Lotteries Commission chairperson Barney Pityana, was adopted by Parliament on Tuesday, with the DA voting against.

The DA voted against the report in protest against current NLC board member and frontrunner for the chairperson post, King Tembinkosi Bonakele, because of how the Commission handled a year-long reparation process for whistle-blowers who exposed multibillion-rand lottery corruption.

Mpho Mosing and Lufuno Tokyo Nevondwe are the other two candidates. Along with Bonakele, they emerged from interviews as the top three of six candidates, after the portfolio committee whittled down a list of 22 applicants.

The previous attempt to debate the report was postponed last month after it descended into chaos after the MK Party and the EFF objected to the DA being called to speak first.

Yesterday’s vote was carried by 218 votes to 59 after the EFF called for a division to expose the “DA’s racism”. When a division is called, each party must state how many of its members voted for or against a motion. All DA members present voted against.

After the outcome of the vote was announced, the House rang with cries of “black unity” and “run racists, run” aimed at the DA.

The report will now be submitted to Minister Parks Tau to decide who to appoint, although he does not necessarily have to select one of the three candidates.

DA MP Toby Chance told Parliament yesterday evening that his party would vote against the report because Bonakele is a member of the current NLC board, which decided not to compensate whistle-blowers who are not on the staff, and only offered non-financial compensation to current and former staff who blew the whistle on corruption.

“Instead of cash to repay their legal bills and lost income, the NLC offered food vouchers, assistance with school fees, counselling and visits to spas,” he said. ”Non-staff like Ado Krige [who died recently] were, callously, given nothing at all. To the whistle-blowers, this was a huge slap in the face.”

He added: “Mr Bonakele scored well in his interview and the committee report recommended him and two other candidates for Minister Tau to consider. But unbeknownst to us, as we were deliberating our decision, he was an active party to a miscarriage of justice, which the DA believes must have consequences.”

ANC MP Lufefe Mkutu accused the DA of being racist and against “black excellence”.

He also demanded that the NLC allocate 20% of its funding to government’s Social Employment Fund, which aims to “address social barriers and access to employment and economic opportunities “.

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