Major clean-up of NLC under way, says new commissioner Jodi Scholtz

CAPE TOWN - New lotteries commissioner, Jodi Scholtz, said that a major clean-up of the organisation was underway, including a new grant funding system. 

This after actress Terry Pheto, her sister Dimakatso, musician Arthur Mafokate and fashion designer, Thula Sindi, were all been implicated in defrauding the commission. 

Pheto's Bryanston home was sold last year while Mafokate has lost a court bid to hold on to his Midrand guesthouse after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) followed the money meant for a chicken farm and an arts development project respectively to their bank accounts and subsequently to buy the properties.

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Three million rand of the R5 million meant for a chicken farm was spent by actress, Terry Pheto, to buy a house. 

Her sister, Dimakatso, pocketed more than R400,000 and their company bought a vehicle for R250,000.

Fashion designer, Thula Sindi, received around R140,000.

The chicken farm was purchased for R850,000 with the help of former lotteries chairperson, Alfred Nevuthanda, who is himself implicated in a bigger web of fraud. 

National lotteries commissioner, Jodi Scholtz, said the forensic audit division was now being beefed up and site visits were being conducted to all projects funded by the commission.

"Where criminal activities or irregularities are identified, the applications are declined and we open SAPS cases. In the 2023/24 financial year, 39 cases were opened, and in 2022/23, 53."

She said that steps were also being taken to have former directors declared delinquent and to blacklist dodgy non-profit organisations.