The Lottery and its discontents

Here are articles on who plays the South African Lottery, how the Lottery money is distributed, and dodgy dealings by the National Lotteries Commission and its recipients.

Lottery threatens criminal charges against journalists

GroundUp accused of breaching law by revealing details of grants

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News | 3 February 2020

Lottery paid millions of rands to COO’s wife’s company

Companies linked to Phillemon Letwaba’s friends and family have received huge amounts of Lottery money

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Feature | 28 January 2020

Member of Parliament calls for Lottery board to be fired

NLC investigating itself is like “turkeys voting for Christmas”, says MP in letter to minister Patel

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Brief | 23 January 2020

Money from Lottery goes to cousin of National Lotteries Commission boss

Only a fraction of the R11 million grant appears to have gone to its intended purpose

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Feature | 20 January 2020

Is the National Lotteries Commission countering media exposés with advertising?

It has massively increased spending on advertorials over the past few years

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Analysis | 17 December 2019

Top Lottery executives coin it

R19 million a year paid to seven people

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Brief | 9 December 2019

Mystery Limpopo outfit gets multi-million rand Lottery contract for old age home in Mpumalanga

Facility, which is unfinished after two years, is in Lottery COO’s village

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Feature | 6 December 2019

Tata ma (almost no) chance: Household income of most lottery players is less than R10,000 per month

UNISA survey gives insight into who plays the Lotto and why

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Feature | 2 December 2019

The Lottery and the mystery multi-million rand boxing arena

A Gauteng company with no track record in construction was contracted to build a facility in the small Eastern Cape town of Storms River

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Feature | 28 November 2019

Does Sunday World want to do journalism or be a defender of corruption?

Newspaper’s attack on our reporter is malicious

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GroundView | 25 November 2019

Patel’s spokesman dodges questions on Lottery

GroundUp told to rather focus on investment conference

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News | 13 November 2019

National Lotteries Commission grilled in Parliament

Questions asked about conflicts of interest and unfinished projects

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Parliament | 6 November 2019

Lottery hides its beneficiaries following corruption exposés

Minister Ebrahim Patel still failing to answer questions

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News | 4 November 2019

How to buy your dream house using public money

Documents show that Lottopreneur Lesley Ramulifho used at least R5 million from a Lottery grant to pay for his luxury Pretoria house

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Feature | 31 October 2019

The Lottery COO and the mysterious payments

Bank statements show that company directed by COO’s wife paid money into Lottery recipient’s account, yet she denies it

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News | 25 October 2019

Lotteries Commission is trying to sell you horse manure

COO Phillemon Letwaba has been unable to explain the numerous anomalies in the funding of Lesley Ramulifho’s projects

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Opinion | 23 October 2019