Mashatile family linked to lottery licence award
Adding to concerns over possible political interference in the award of the fourth national lottery licence, it has emerged that Sizekhaya Holdings, which landed the lucrative licence to operate the national lottery for eight years, has links to Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
An amaBhungane report on the Daily Maverick site notes that among Sizekhaya’s shareholders is Bellamont Gaming, a company co-owned and co-directed by Khumo Bogatsu – Mashatile’s sister-in-law – and Moses Tembe, the KZN businessman who chairs Sizekhaya and seems close to Mashatile.
Bogatsu is the twin sister of Humile Mashatile, Mashatile’s wife.
The Deputy President and Humile were married in March 2023. Bellamont Gaming was registered nine months later, in December 2023, with Tembe and Bogatsu as its founding and still only directors.
Bellamont and consortium partners then registered Sizekhaya just days before last year’s 3 February deadline to contest the fourth national lottery licence.
Minister of Trade, Industry & Competition, Parks Tau, finally announced the award to Sizekhaya on 28 May after protracted delays and what he called ‘this arduous exercise’ of evaluating eight applications.
The lottery licence is a lucrative acquisition. The outgoing operator, Ithuba Holdings, reported a R7.28bn turnover in 2024.
Bogatsu and Tembe’s joint involvement adds to widespread fears that the politics of patronage may have intruded on the award process.
Tembe has a palatial residence on Bellamont Road above Umdloti Beach, north of Durban – and according to residents in the area, Mashatile and Humile were frequent visitors, particularly last year.
In February last year, they allegedly stayed over for around six days ahead of the ANC’s election manifesto launch in Durban.
Tembe has been seen at Mashatile’s side in public, including in May this year as part of the business delegation that accompanied the Deputy President to France for an investment conference.
In a terse response to amaBhungane’s questions, Mashatile’s spokesperson, Keith Khoza, denied the Deputy President had interfered.
He said: ‘He has nothing to do with the licence award process as it does not fall within the ambit of his delegated functions nor did he participate in any way, shape or form. Similarly, the business relationship with any of the parties involved has nothing to do with the (Deputy President) and his wife. Khoza did not respond to detailed questions about Mashatile’s relationship with Tembe and the new lotto operator, nor whether he was briefed – formally or informally – on the lottery bid, according to a report on the News24 site.
National Lotteries Commission (NLC) spokesperson Rudzani Tshigemane referred questions to Tau’s department, which did not respond.
Sizekhaya Holdings, answering on behalf of itself, Bogatsu and Tembe, said it rejected 'with the utmost seriousness, any suggestion that our successful bid for the national lottery licence was influenced by political proximity'.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
