Ex National Lotteries Board Member Spent Millions of Grant Money to Buy Chicken Farm and Pay for Home
- A former National Lotteries Commission(NLC) board member William Huma has allegedly used the organisation for personal gain
- Huma allegedly received funds that were meant for grants to buy himself an expensive house and chicken farm
- South Africans are questioning why no criminal charges have been laid against Huma since these allegations against him came out in 2021
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JOHANNESBURG - Willam Huma, a former National Lotteries Commission(NLC) board member is being accused of diverting millions of funds that were meant for National Lotteries grant beneficiaries for personal benefit.
Reports indicate that Huma used the funds to pay for his home bond, buy a high-end poultry farm and so much more. All this happened while he was still a member of the lottery board.
The initial investigation was conducted by GroundUp, and March 2021, the investigative journalism organisation indicated that Huma received R5 million which was paid towards his luxurious home.
Source: Getty Images
The R5 million was paid by an organisation that benefited from the NLC, however, that organisation had not been operational for at least 15 years when it received a R27 million grant from the NLC.
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Huma was also given two payments of R1 million each. One payment was from a construction company called Upbrand Properties which is closely linked to Phillemon Letwaba, the now-suspended NLC chief operating officer. The second payment of R1 million to Huma's personal bank account came directly from Letwaba.
Further investigation found that a portion of the R13 million grant that was supposed to help empower women from the Marikana was used to build Huma a chicken farm, according to News24. The grant was awarded to a non-profit organisation called The Samaritan Initiative.
South Africans are wondering why Huma has not been prosecuted yet
Social media users have shared their thoughts on Huma. Some people pointed out that allegations against the former NLC board member came out in March 2021 and should have been investigated by now.
Here are a few comments:
@RonaScott4 said:
"What is it with South Africa where corruption seems to be deeply engraved in the DNA of so many people? Don't you people fear God?"
@Lycan_213 said:
"These are the real thieves instead and not that varsity student."
@i_r_b_r_m said:
"Black Monopoly Capital strikes again! "
@SharkysTweet said:
"This was exposed in March 2021, why has there been no actual movement on prosecution and recovery of looted monies? @NPA_Prosecutes @SAPoliceService #Hawks"
@keithspeacock said:
"We know from previous reports the @NationalLottoSA had some dodgy grants. Now those involved need to have their assets seized and their day in court. @Corruption_SA @NPA_Prosecutes @ForDemocracySa"
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola's law firm drops the ball in Lottery fraud investigation
Briefly News previously reported that a probe into forensic documents into reports submitted by a highly acclaimed law firm for the National Lotteries Commission to examine lottery financing fraud has found that the reports are filled with forged papers.
The law firm in question is Ndobela Lamola Inc, which the Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola was the director of when the forgeries were submitted, according to the Daily Maverick.
In 2018, GroudUp released a report that revealed how Denzhe Primary Care non-profit company was used fraudulently to apply for funding worth millions of rands from Lotto in the guise of building a rehabilitation centre near Pretoria.
Source: Briefly News
