Minister appoints Ithuba Holdings to run national lottery for 12 months
This as the minister on Wednesday announced the successful conclusion and appointment of Sizekhaya Holdings (RF) (Pty) Ltd ('Sizekhaya') as the fourth national lottery and sports pools operator. However, Sizekhaya's appointment takes effect on June 1, 2026.
'Sizekhaya's appointment takes effect on June 1, 2026, and requires that there be transition from the third national lottery and sports pools operations to the fourth national lottery and sports pool licence operations.
'On advice of the National Lotteries Commission, I also authorised that a temporary licensee must be appointed in terms of section 13B of the Lotteries Act, 1997.
'I am pleased to report that I have concluded, on advice of the commission, successful negotiations with Ithuba Holdings (RF) (Pty) Ltd and have signed a temporary licence agreement for them to operate the National Lottery and Sports Pool for a period of 12 months with effect June 1, 2025,' said the minister in a statement on Saturday.
The temporary licence will ensure the continuation of the lottery operations in the period the transition is required from the third to the fourth licence operations.
In addition, the minister said he takes issue with the judgment of the High Court of May 21, which found that the Temporary Licence Request for Proposal (RFP) was not valid and has appealed this judgment.
'However, in its judgment of May 21, the court accepted that it is in the public interest that the National Lottery should continue to operate to raise revenues to fund worthy causes, notwithstanding that the court was not satisfied with the RFP process. Additionally, another court affirmed my power to appoint a temporary licensee in its judgment of May 30,' said Tau.
It is in the context of both the May 21 and 30 judgments that the minister received and accepted the advice from the commission that he appoint a temporary licence operator on an urgent basis.
'I am pleased that the National Lottery operations will not be interrupted during transition from the third to [the] fourth licence operations and that worthy causes will continue to receive support,' said the minister. – SAnews.gov.za
Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.
Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
3 hours ago
- The Citizen
Treasury experts to intervene as Free State municipalities face audit crisis
In a decisive move to address the dire state of municipal governance in the Free State, Provincial Treasury will begin deploying skilled experts to struggling municipalities across the province. Bloemfontein Courant reports that the intervention, announced by Free State MEC of Finance Moses Ketso Makume, comes after growing concerns over poor audit outcomes revealed in the latest Auditor-General's report. Speaking during the first day of the oversight visit by the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs last Thursday, Makume said the deployment of internal experts is intended to strengthen financial and administrative governance where it is most needed. 'We are obviously concerned by the Auditor-General's report, but it is also an opportunity to improve governance in our municipalities so that they can do what is expected of them – provide services to the people,' said Makume. Not a single municipality in the Free State received a clean audit in the most recent reporting cycle. One of the most troubled municipalities, Nala Local Municipality was singled out for its instability after operating with two CFOs and two speakers simultaneously. This administrative chaos led to community unrest and recurring service delivery protests. In response, Amos Goliath has since been appointed as an administrator to stabilise the institution. Makume emphasised that relying on costly external consultants had failed to produce results, with no municipality achieving a clean audit despite the financial investment. 'We are going to make use of internal capacity to assist our municipalities and lift them out of this rot. This approach will empower local administrations and help save money,' he said. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on
The Citizen
5 hours ago
- The Citizen
African Media unite to tackle climate disinformation
On July 24, at the Goethe Institut in Parkwood, leading African media voices, international experts, and advocates gathered to confront a critical and often overlooked threat… Climate disinformation. The event: Fighting Climate Disinformation: Information Integrity for Climate Change and the Role of African Media, was hosted by Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), in partnership with the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF), the Forum on Information and Democracy (FID), the International Press Institute (IPI), and BrandSA. It highlighted how, as the impacts of climate change intensify, the spread of falsehoods and misleading narratives is undermining public understanding, delaying the urgent action needed to protect vulnerable communities. Also read: Parktown North comedian Costa Carastavrakis brings new show to Melrose Arch Speakers warned that Africa, already affected by climate change, cannot afford to lose the truth battle. AI and disinformation campaigns have created an information crisis that risks policy, public trust, and resilience. There's an urgent call for African journalists to challenge false narratives and explore the 'why' behind stories, especially regarding corporate greenwashing and manipulation. The dialogue highlighted the importance of youth empowerment through media literacy, noting that young people with critical thinking skills are less susceptible to misinformation. Many, however, struggle to evaluate climate information, leading to emotional reactions and disconnection. The discussion stressed the need for integrating climate education and digital literacy in schools, while encouraging civil society and businesses to fund community workshops that promote informed engagement. Also read: The G20 audiovisual advert highlights solidarity, equality, and sustainability The event highlighted the G20's growing recognition of information integrity as crucial to climate justice, with Brazil spearheading initiatives in this area. Panellists emphasised that social media platforms must take greater responsibility in combating harmful content, calling for increased support for journalists facing harassment when investigating environmental issues. They concluded that truthful storytelling is essential for achieving climate justice, as the media's role extends beyond informing, to inspiring action, with each accurate report contributing to the protection of the planet and public trust. Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration!
IOL News
6 hours ago
- IOL News
Malawian man accuses Nedbank of reckless lending as court rules bank can repossess Sunninghill home due R2. 6 million debt
A Malawian man who has been unable to meet his bond payments has accused Nedbank of reckless lending after owing over R2.6 million. Image: Tracey Adams/Independent Newspapers A Malawian man who has been unable to meet his monthly bond payments has accused Nedbank of reckless lending after owing over R2.6 million on his home loan. Bonface Tintin Ndawala, an accountant and a CEO of a mobile company in his home country, bought his home in Sunninghill, Johannesburg in October 2011. He purchased his home with a bank loan of R2.4 million. Initially, Ndawala was responsible for paying R27,559.62 each month, but his last payment was made in August 2021, amounting to R20,221.14. The failure to maintain payment resulted in arrears exceeding R977,000. In court, Ndawala represented himself after his attorney withdrew a few hours before the hearing. He told the court that he holds 5,400 shares valued at R1,000 each in Midveldt Investments (Pty) Ltd, which he claimed could be sold to alleviate his financial burden. However, Nedbank said Ndawala failed to attach an evaluation certificate from an actuary or other accountant to confirm the value of those shares. This argument was accepted by Acting Judge JL Bhengu who said given the fact that Ndawala's indebtedness spans from 2021, he should have at least taken steps to sell his shares to cover his debts, if indeed the shares are worth that much. "It is unreasonable for Mr Ndawala to expect the creditor to undertake the exercise of verifying the existence of the shares when he cannot do it himself, despite such information falling within his personal knowledge," said the judge. Moreover, Ndawala explained that as a CEO, he was in the process of finalising an agreement with a potential investor where he could raise over R200 million and this would have allowed him to pay the arrears in one go. He complained that because he was not legally represented, he was unable to bring proof of the contract and license of the business that he was referring to. Dissatisfied with his explanation, the judge said Ndawala's complaints had no merit because he was always legally represented throughout the proceedings up until a few hours before the hearing. His other defence was that the bank's interest charges were exorbitant, and the bank failed to assess his financial position at the time of granting the loan, amounting to reckless lending. This argument was also thwarted by the judge due to the fact that at the time he applied for the bond, he was employed by Cell C and earned over R200,000. "There is no explanation from Mr Ndawala why he agreed to these terms of the loan, only to challenge them almost 13 years later when he is having financial difficulties. It is trite that contracting parties cannot escape the enforcement of contractual terms on the basis that enforcement would be disproportionate or unfair in the circumstances," said the judge. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Upon reviewing the evidence, the court considered the fact Ndawala owned a home loan exceeding R2.6 million and was in arrears of over R977,000, with the amount still increasing. With these facts, the judge deemed it appropriate to declare the property to be repossessed by the bank. "I am of the view that foreclosure will also assist Mr Ndawala to alleviate the escalating indebtedness not only on the home loan but also towards other creditors like the municipality and the homeowner's association." In May 2023, a property evaluator valued the property at R2.8 million, whereas the municipality valued it at R2.6 million. Conversely, the bank suggested a sale price of R2.2 million, which the judge deemed fair, taking into account the outstanding amounts owed to the municipality and the Homeowners Association. However, Ndawala contended that the property was worth over R5 million. He said R2,2 million was too low and argued that R4 million was more reasonable. Ndawala's argument was dismissed because his finding was not supported by a property evaluator. In contrast, the bank relied on independent evaluators to support their position. Despite ruling in favour of the bank, the judge suspended the order for six months to give Ndawala enough time to finalise the deal which he claimed would settle all his debts at one go. "I decided to grant him the benefit of the doubt by suspending the operation of the order for six months in order to give him a fair chance to bring his arrears up to date," read the judgment. The judgment was made in June 2024, and the reasons were not written. In July 2025, Nedbank approached the judge to request written reasons that informed the ruling. The reason for this request was because Ndawala had submitted an application for leave to appeal the judgment. IOL News Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel
