President Ramaphosa Signs Proclamation R293, Extending SIU’s National Lotteries Commission Investigation by Five Years
President Cyril Ramaphosa has widened the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) probe into the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) by signing Proclamation R293 of 2025, pushing the investigation timeline to 10 October 2025 and adding 21 new categories of procurement and contracting.  This change to the original Proclamation R32 of 2020 comes as fresh claims of corruption and maladministration surface at the NLC, an organisation meant to fund good causes but hit by scandals over misused grants. 
The SIU shared the news on Monday, 13 October 2025, through posts on X, stressing their drive to spot systemic flaws and suggest fixes to stop future losses. 
The extension lets the SIU look into matters from the NLC’s start up to now, checking if deals were fair, clear, and good value.  It covers a R2 billion investigation split into three phases, with the last one focusing on court action to get back lost money.  This step is a big push for accountability in the lottery sector, which has seen probes uncover grants going to fake projects or connected people.  Groups fighting corruption and families waiting for funds have cheered the move, hoping it leads to charges and changes in how the NLC works.
Why the Extension? Tackling Ongoing Claims of Wrongdoing
The original 2020 proclamation let the SIU probe claims of bad management and fraud at the NLC from its early days to November 2020. But new tips and findings showed problems kept going after that, so the SIU needed more time and scope to dig deeper. R293 adds five years to the timeline, up to 10 October 2025, and lets them check if deals broke laws, Treasury rules, or NLC guidelines.
The SIU has already found big issues in past phases, like grants worth millions going to non-profits linked to NLC bosses or used for personal gain.  In May 2025, the EFF slammed the SIU’s early findings, calling for quick action on the “rampant corruption” that robbed community projects.  The extension now covers any unauthorised, wasteful, or irregular spending by the NLC or the state. 
The 21 New Categories: From Legal Panels to Ad Campaigns
The proclamation lists 21 specific areas for the SIU to check, focusing on procurement deals that might have skipped fair processes.  These include:
- Appointment of attorney panels (Bid NLC/2020-05)
- Employee wellness service provider (RFP/2021-15)
- Extension of off-site document storage
- Electronic board packs (RFQ NLC/2019-006 and Bid NLC 2020-006)
- Neo Solutions for a knowledge hub strategy
- Edge Consulting for Oracle Fusion system (June 2019)
- ProEthics for ethics services
- Workforce Healthcare for wellness (September 2019)
- SRQSQS Quantity Surveyors for project management (January 2018)
- Maluks Attorneys for legal panel (April 2021)
- Education and awareness broadcast campaign (29 October 2020)
- Accommodation and travel from Regency Apartment Hotel and Ndila Show More
- Whether procurements were fair, equitable, transparent, competitive, and cost-effective.
The SIU will also probe any related criminal acts, like fraud or corruption, and wasteful spending.  This wide net aims to uncover if deals favoured certain people or wasted public money meant for charities, sports, and arts.
Three Phases of the Probe: R2 Billion in Questioned Deals
The SIU’s work is split into three phases, covering deals worth about R2 billion. Phases one and two looked at early claims, while phase three will use court action to recover funds. The unit plans to refer criminal evidence to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for charges and start civil cases in the High Court or Special Tribunal to fix wrongs from corruption or bad management.
In line with the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act 74 of 1996, the SIU can chase both criminal and civil paths.  This dual approach has worked in past probes, like freezing assets worth millions linked to NLC grants in June 2025. 
NLC Scandals: A History of Misused Funds and Calls for Change
The NLC has been in hot water since reports in 2019 of grants going to fake or connected projects.  GroundUp and other media uncovered how millions meant for community upliftment ended up building mansions or funding luxuries for insiders.  The SIU’s early work led to 13 disciplinary referrals, 15 NPA referrals for fraud and money laundering, and two Hawks referrals in May 2025. 
Parliament has grilled the NLC, with the portfolio committee hearing from the SIU on progress.  Critics like the EFF say the corruption robbed poor communities of needed support.  The extension now lets the SIU tackle recent claims, like auditor complicity in hiding fraud. 
What’s Next: Criminal Charges, Recoveries, and Reforms
The SIU is committed to finding systemic issues and suggesting ways to fix them, like better oversight on grants. With the new scope, they can probe if deals broke rules or wasted money. Expect more asset freezes, like the R900 million in a related probe, and charges against those involved.
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