Dear Cape Town
On the 6th of November 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa, signed a proclamation which authorised the Special Investigate Unit (SIU) to investigate alleged corruption and malfeasance at the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) (See here).
It is clear that this has manifested as a result of the immense pressure placed on government by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Parliament, civil society and the media.
However, what is stark is Minister Patel’s continued silence on alleged corruption in his own backyard.
The DA has called on him several times to fire the NLC and its board and place the organisation under administration, considering the volume of evidence in the public domain, but on each occasion he has refused to do so.
In his most recent correspondence to the DA, he argued that there weren’t sufficient grounds for him to do so (See here).
However, we laid out several provisions within the National Lotteries Act as well as the Public Finance Management Act that allowed him to take the appropriate action against this rogue institution (See here).
While the DA welcomes President Ramaphosa’s SIU proclamation, we are left wondering why Minister Patel has allowed for large scale looting at the NLC to continue unabated?
Therefore, it is quite clear that Minister Patel is quite satisfied continuing in his role as “Caretaker of corruption” instead of “Crusader against it”.
The DA will not rest until these” Lottery Looters” are put behind bars and money meant for the most vulnerable South Africans is recouped and accounted for.
Regards
Mat Cuthbert MP
DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition
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