Decision on lucrative Lotto tender: Questions raised over possible conflicts of interest
Stephen Grootes interviews Business Day's Kabelo Khumalo about his claims around the composition of the team evaluating the bids.
Picture: Dylan Nolte/Unsplash
Many South Africans have come to distrust the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) after it was exposed over the years for deep-rooted corruption.
The board appointed in 2023 is trying hard to fix the problems left behind by the previous one, Groundup editor Nathan Geffen said in a recent interview on CapeTalk.
RELATED: MPs push to disband lottery board now that 'the money tap is off' - GroundUp
But what about the team assembled by the NLC to adjudicate the lucrative tender currently up for grabs to operate the national lottery?
The bidding process is being marred increasingly by conflicts of interest, writes Kabelo Khumalo, Companies and Markets Editor for Business Day.
In conversation with Stephen Grootes, Khumalo highlights the inclusion on the team of Anne-Marie Pooley.
He questions the presence of Pooley, a former employee of Vukani Gaming, which is owned by shortlisted bidder HCI.
"I heard that the process of how some of these people were appointed is being kept under wraps, and the NLC does not want to reveal much."
"If you look at the companies shortlisted, most of them are politically exposed. We start off with HCI itself - it's majority-owned by the SA Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU), which is an affiliate of Cosatu, which is in alliance with the ANC."
Kabelo Khumalo, Companies & Markets Editor - Business Day
The CEO of HCI is former trade unionist Johnny Copelyn.
Khumalo notes that Copelyn was one of the businesspeople who donated to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s CR17 campaign for the ANC presidency.
Mmusi Maimane's Build One SA (Bosa) announced on Tuesday that it's submitted an application in terms of PAIA to obtain the identities of everyone appointed to adjudicate the R180 billion tender.
"I think that's the right step if you believe in your processes, that they are watertight. Open up the process and it will enjoy more support."
"Transparency will become critical because of the magnitude of this tender."
Kabelo Khumalo, Companies & Markets Editor - Business Day
Scroll up to listen to the interview and click here to read Khumalo's detailed article