What A Lotto Fraud and Corruption

The Story So Far

South Africa's National Lottery ceased to operate in March 2007. The Department of Trade and Industry trotted out a number of bizarre excuses for this.

They said it was found that "prominent ANC leaders" including the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, had undiclosed interests in the lottery operator Uthingo, as well as the preferred new one, Gidani.

Of course the media never asked why it had taken the government five years to discover this about Uthingo.

Then the government backtracked when it was supposedly discovered that Gidani had a dubious partner. Word was put out that its international partner, Intralot, had "a perceived questionable international record". Much nonsense was then spoken about a flawed contract and the matter wound up in court.

At the end of July a Saturday newspaper said Trade and Industry minister Mandisi Mpahlwa had been "sitting on a recommendation for eight weeks" by the National Lottery Board to appoint Gidani as the operator. Gidani said it knew nothing.

By 6 August 2007 there was still no lottery. Over 8 000 terminals stood idle across the country. Sales agents were not earning and good causes were not getting their due....

Now Tell Us This Ain't True...

* In-fighting among ANC politicians as to who should get a cut of the lucrative lottery pie has stalled the award of the operating licence

* There was massive fraud at the lottery by means of printing out tickets retrospectively ie. a few seconds after the lottery draw

* A cursory actuarial examination of the lotto results in the two years up to March 2007 would prove that it was statistically impossible for their to be so many first prize winners

* The greed of politicians and covering up the fraud is the reason for the disappearance of the lottery