The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) findings into the misuse of National Lotteries Commission (NLC) funds have drawn a response from media executive Makhudu Sefara, who has denied any wrongdoing and accused investigators of misrepresenting the facts. Sefara, the editor of the Sunday Times, was placed on “special leave” on Tuesday, hours after it was revealed that a company of which he was the sole director was linked to a lottery-funded project under investigation by the SIU. According to SIU, his…

The National Lotteries Commission has welcomed the expansion of the Special Investigating Unit investigation into its affairs, saying it will allow law enforcement agencies the space and time to complete their work without interference. In a statement issued on 5 February 2026, the NLC noted Proclamation R293 of 2025, signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, which amends Proclamation R32 and broadens the scope and timeframe of the SIU’s investigation into the commission. The amended proclamation empowers the SIU to investigate additional…

Professor Barney Pityana, the respected academic, theologian, and human rights advocate, has stepped down as chairperson of the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), two years before his term was due to end. His departure, effective December 2025, was confirmed by Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau, who stressed that Pityana had not resigned but “asked to retire.” The announcement, however, has not settled public concern. On the contrary, Pityana’s early exit has amplified scrutiny over the Commission, which remains…

The Special Tribunal has ruled that the pension of Sanele Dlamini, a former grants manager in the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), be frozen pending an investigation. The ruling comes after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) applied to have his pension mothballed until an investigation into the entire commission and funded projects is concluded. The SIU believes that Dlamini acted in a fraudulent manner in approving a grant funding to Motheo Foundation to build a sports complex in February 2022. The…

The Limpopo farm that was bought using money that was fleeced from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) has been preserved, meaning its owner cannot sell or change its ownership. The farm would later be auctioned to recover the money that was illegally sourced from the commission. The preservation of the farm comes after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) secured an order from the Special Tribunal to freeze the immovable property of Portion 15 of the Farm Zandrivierspoort in the Limpopo…

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has secured a preservation order from the Special Tribunal to freeze a property located in Midstream Estate in Gauteng, pending the finalisation of civil proceedings into the alleged misuse of funds allocated by the National Lotteries Commission (NLC). The order interdicts Israel Mathibe and his company, Smart Safety PPE and any other party from selling, disposing, leasing, encumbering (including by granting rights of retention), transferring, donating, or dealing in any manner whatsoever with the immovable…

The investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) into the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) has been expanded to include accounting firms involved in creating false statements to assist non-profit organizations (NPOs) in obtaining funds they are not entitled to. Collaborating with the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation, also known as the Hawks, the SIU conducted a raid on an accounting firm in Kimberley, Northern Cape, on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, to gather evidence. “The SIU was granted a search and…

Prominent South Africans could be in hot water after ongoing Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigations into the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) revealed potential misappropriation of R1.4 billion in public funds through corrupt activities. The second phase of the SIU investigation was made before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, bringing attention to important discoveries that are significant in South Africa’s ongoing battle against corruption. The report specifically focuses on individuals of high prominence who…

Law enforcement authorities have obtained a preservation order preventing former National Lotteries Commission (NLC) chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda and others from using properties and luxury vehicles bought with money siphoned from the lottery fund. The order follows a series of investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) that uncovered fraud and corruption valued at approximately R344 million. The probes found that board members, senior employees, their family members and friends enriched themselves with NLC grants allocated for projects to assist in…

The Special Tribunal has frozen several bank accounts belonging to a KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) National Lotteries Commission (NLC) official and his wife, who are accused of using 400 daycare centers and football clubs to siphon R32 million from the gambling entity. The interim order was initially granted on August 16, 2023, but has now been varied to include restraining and interdicting the couple, Sibonelo Vilakazi and Nosipho Zanele Zuma, as well as any other person with knowledge of the order, from…