LOTTERIES SOUTH AFRICA South Africa: Patel’s Spokesman Dodges Questions On Lottery 3 years ago Samuel Post Views: 913 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 LOTTERIES SOUTH AFRICA Key legal files involving Lottery’s multimillion 18 hours ago Szarlot BETTING HOT NEWS SOUTH AFRICA Sports betting, turnover is growing but so are suspicious matches 18 hours ago Iwo Bulski CASINO SOUTH AFRICA Where in the world are the most luxury casino destinations? 2 days ago Szarlot BETTING SOUTH AFRICA Analyzing the top 5 online sports betting platforms in South Africa 4 days ago Szarlot EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA Operators Betting Big On Africa’s Booming iGaming Industry 5 days ago Iwo Bulski CASINO SOUTH AFRICA Sun International bets big on gambling growth 5 days ago Iwo Bulski LOTTERIES SOUTH AFRICA Lottery scandal: R1m paid to influencer in South Africa 1 week ago Samuel CASINO SOUTH AFRICA Sun International on a roll as gamblers spend big after pandemic 1 week ago Samuel CASINO SOUTH AFRICA Kimberley’s Flamingo Casino comes of age 1 week ago Szarlot EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA Three weeks until Big Africa Summit 2023 2 weeks ago Iwo Bulski EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA Gambling sector is taking no chances with its future 2 weeks ago Samuel EXPERTS SOUTH AFRICA South Africa losing out on billions in online gambling taxes 2 weeks ago Szarlot 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.