The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) annual report reveals that, in the last financial year, the entity has allocated R10 million in grants without following correct procedures.

In addition, over R5 million was allocated to two beneficiaries that did not meet the criteria for NLDTF funding. The NLDTF manages National Lottery proceeds that are intended for distribution to worthy causes.

I will be submitting parliamentary questions to the Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, about how the department plans to manage the irregular awarding of grants by the NLDTF, and what action it will take against the individuals responsible. These questions follow from those that I have already posed to Minister Davies regarding the soliciting of bribes from NGOs by employees of the distribution agencies within the NLDTF for the purpose of expediting grant applications.

The information revealed in the NLDTF’s annual report underscores the importance of the Private Member’s Bill submitted by the DA to the Speaker of Parliament in August. This bill aims to outlaw payouts by the NLB to any organisations other than bona fide charitable, sporting or cultural organisations, and also seeks to bring greater transparency to the distribution of National Lottery proceeds.

The NLDTF will require extensive restructuring if its financial management is to be improved.

Hopefully, increased transparency will bring an end to the National Lottery’s favouring of bodies linked to the ANC over needy causes. In the past year, R41 million in grants was paid to COSATU and the National Youth Development Agency to host politically motivated events.

Thousands of vulnerable and impoverished South Africans rely on charitable organisations for their wellbeing. Funds available to the NLDTF must be strictly managed to ensure that its recipients are those who need it most.