LOTTERIES SOUTH AFRICA South Africa: Patel’s Spokesman Dodges Questions On Lottery 4 years ago Samuel Post Views: 1,003 GroundUp sent the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) questions on the National Lottery Commission’s sudden decision to no longer publish the names of its beneficiaries. But DTI spokesman Sidwell Medupe told us rather to focus on the Investment Summit in Johannesburg. About a third of money spent on Lottery tickets is supposed to go to good causes via the NLC. This year, for the first time in 18 years, the NLC decided to not publish the names of the beneficiaries of funding. In Parliament last week, NLC representatives told the trade and industry portfolio committee that they had taken this decision after complaints from beneficiaries that the publication of their names and the amounts they received led to people extorting money from them. The decision by the NLC follows exposés of several dodgy lottery projects, some of them involving Pretoria attorney Lesley Ramulifho. The NLC falls under the Department of Trade and Industry. Minister of Trade and Industry, Ebrahim Patel, has previously asked the Commission to pursue a criminal case in connection with a controversial R27.5-million Lottery grant awarded to a company controlled by Ramulifho to construct a drug rehabilitation centre near Pretoria. Following the Commission’s decision to keep its beneficiaries secret in future, GroundUp sent questions for the minister to Medupe. Medupe told GroundUp on the phone rather to focus on more important things like the Investment Summit that was happening last week in Johannesburg. “We’re bringing investors to the country, why don’t you write about that instead?” he asked. The following day Medupe sent GroundUp a Whatsapp message quoting religious writer Bishop Lalachan Abraham: “Character is grounded in integrity. Leaders must be honest, credible and completely trustworthy. A person with integrity doesn’t twist facts for personal advantage, is willing to stand up for what is right, keeps all promises, and can be counted on to always tell the truth. A person with integrity makes sound decisions, especially when faced with moments of indecision, temptation and conflict. Without integrity, no leader can be successful.” Then he sent links to several articles on the Investment Summit. Further messages via Whatsapp and SMS asking for a response to the queries sent to him were ignored. But he did send another Whatsapp message, this time quoting a Christie Hartman: “Don’t confuse confidence with arrogance.” He also sent GroundUp media statements and a 94-page document on “The politics of trade in the era of hyper-globalisation”. Source: allafrica.com About Post Author Samuel I am a journalist specializing in gambling in Africa and around the world. I am particularly interested in stories about games and casinos. See author's posts SamuelI am a journalist specializing in gambling in Africa and around the world. I am particularly interested in stories about games and casinos. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Print Tags: GroundUp, Lottery, National Lottery Commission Continue Reading Previous SA – CLOVER LINK™ launched in Africa at Emperors PalaceNext Delegation from Ivory Coast visited National Lottery Authority (NLA) More Stories EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA How South Africans Are Embracing Online Gambling Trends 39 mins ago Szarlot LOTTERIES SOUTH AFRICA Someone is holding a R25 million Powerball Plus jackpot ticket 45 mins ago Samuel LOTTERIES SOUTH AFRICA Someone is holding a R25 million Powerball jackpot ticket 2 days ago Samuel EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA Scan to Pay launches new voucher solution for consumers 2 days ago Samuel CASINO SOUTH AFRICA Sun International new Earl of Black Pearl crowned 6 days ago Samuel EXPERTS HOT NEWS SOUTH AFRICA Africa’s Digital Future and the Rise of Mobile Gaming 1 week ago Samuel ONLINE SOUTH AFRICA Online Casino Games Dominating the African Landscape 2 weeks ago Samuel EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA Social and cultural aspects of gambling in South Africa 2 weeks ago Samuel EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA The Hollywood Foundation in support of responsible gambling 3 weeks ago Szarlot EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA A decade of leadership connections 3 weeks ago Iwo Bulski EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA LiveScore announces acquisition of Wonderlabz 3 weeks ago Samuel EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA Common payment methods of iGaming platforms in Africa 4 weeks ago Samuel Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.