DA demands an independent Probe into Lottery License Scandal Linked to Mashatile’s Family

(The Post News)- The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for a comprehensive, independent investigation into the awarding of the fourth national lottery license to Sizekhaya Holdings, which is directly linked to the Mashatile family. The probe is requested to be fully independent without the ANC’s political interference.

The revelations and scandals around the new Lottery Operator Licence has stirred controversy amid the public’s concerns and outcries over shat appears to be a politically compromised process, tied to the family of Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

Public concerns have intensified following revelations that a member of the evaluation committee responsible for assessing Sizekhaya Holdings’ proposal was hosted in his personal capacity at the 25th anniversary Golf Day of Goldrush, which owns 50% of Sizekhaya, only months before he was involved in evaluating the decision to bid the company’s tender. This appears to compromise the integrity and validity of the legitimacy in the selection process of Sizekhaya Holdings.

The most alarming aspect of the selection is the bid evaluation committee and the political closeness of the winning bidder which creates conflicts of interest, giving a picture of something that was completely planned and thought through to benefit the family of ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile. Sizekhaya is partly owned by Bellamont Gaming, a company founded and directed by Deputy President Mashatile’s sister-in-law, Khumo Bogatso. Bellamount’s leadership also includes a close associate, Moses Tembe who is the Chairman of Sizekhaya Holdings. These personal and family-linked connections to the Deputy President have stirred controversy and widespread scrutiny and prompted the DA’s urgent intervention in transparency and accountability.

The DA further argues that the selection process was compromised both politically and professionally. The closeness and coincidence more especially Sizekhaya’s to the Deputy President’s family ties along with the involvement of the evaluation committee member whom had been recently invited by one of the committee bidding members leads to the planned and deliberate outcome designed for the specific ANC connected elites and not fairness.

Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Perks Tau, who oversees the process has admitted that he properly failed to ensure fairness by enabling the selection of Sizekhaya and Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s family to bypass the process. According to the DA, due diligence process was either incomplete or deliberately overlooked, his lack of proper scrutiny allowed Sizekhaya-Holdings to be appointed despitebrewing conflict of interest.

In a formal letter to Minister Tau, the DA has demanded a comprehensive, and independent investigation, free from ANC political interference. The demands clarity on whether any members of the evaluation, adjudication, or quality assurance committees were cognizant of the links to Paul Mashatile’s family, and if so why was that information not disclosed first-hand. Furthermore, the investigation should determine whether failure to disclose these familial links was due to incompetence or institutional diligence.

The DA has also emphasised the need for a comprehensive investigation to probe whether the selection and the outcome of the tender were politically influenced and whether any evaluation committee acted wilfully or negligently in the process. The party maintains that political accountability must take its course wherever wrongdoing is established.

South Africans deserve transparent and fair governance and not another example of ANC corruption. “ We will not rest until the truth behind this scandal is exposed and the individuals involved are held accountable for undermining public trust and ethical governance,” says the DA.