Lotteries commission hard at work to rebuild trust after graft

The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) has committed to rebuilding the trust lost due to corruption within its grant-funding department.

- Vhahangwele Nemakonde

The NLC has been plagued by corruption, with some officials found to have benefited from grants meant for community projects.

As a result, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) was brought in to investigate misconduct within the NLC.

In February, the unit revealed the government and NLC had lost about R1.4 billion to graft.

The SIU has initiated at least 10 criminal referrals against NLC officials, non-profit organisations and companies that unduly benefited from the commission.

Additionally, the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) has secured preservations in the NLC cases to recover funds used to buy properties for the benefit of employees and members of NPOs who had applied for grants.