In a major breakthrough in the ongoing National Lotteries Commission (NLC) corruption scandal, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has frozen nearly R25 million in assets suspected to be linked to looted public funds.
The R24.98 million preservation order, granted on 16 May 2025 by the Special Tribunal, was secured in partnership with the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The order targets property and high-value assets allegedly acquired using misappropriated NLC grant money intended for community upliftment projects.
At the heart of the scandal is a massive fraud scheme, uncovered by the SIU’s deep investigation, stretching from 2014 to 2020 and involving an estimated R1.4 billion. The probe, launched under Proclamation R32 of 2020 by President Cyril Ramaphosa, has exposed a tangled web of NLC officials, board members, and politically connected associates.
“These funds were meant to build communities, not buy luxury properties,” said an SIU spokesperson. “We are committed to ensuring public money is recovered and justice is served.”
Among the frozen assets is a Limpopo property valued at R4.4 million, allegedly bought using funds siphoned through companies linked to former NLC COO Philemon Letwaba and his relatives. The SIU has applied for the forfeiture of the property, citing it as the proceeds of unlawful activity.
This latest legal action follows an earlier R23.2 million preservation order issued in November 2023 against former NLC chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda—a key figure also implicated in the sprawling corruption network.
Once forfeited, the seized assets will be auctioned off, with proceeds returned to the NLC to mitigate losses and rebuild trust in the integrity of public funding systems.
📌 As the investigation widens and more high-profile figures come under scrutiny, the SIU continues its aggressive pursuit of accountability and restitution in one of South Africa’s most explosive corruption sagas.
