The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has been granted a preservation order by the Special Tribunal to interdict the pension payout of R500,000 to former National Lotteries Commission (NLC) official Sibonelo Vilakazi.
The preservation order follows an SIU investigation in which Vilakazi, a former client liaison officer from the KwaZulu-Natal NLC branch, allegedly exploited his position to enable his spouse, Nosipho Zanele Zuma, to receive 48 payments totalling R31.2m from entities benefiting from NLC grants.
SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said on Thursday the funds were funnelled through Zuma’s company, ZZET Enterprises, and were used to purchase luxury vehicles and properties, including two Toyota Quantums, a Toyota Hilux and two houses.
“A report by the Financial Intelligence Centre states that 05 ZZET Enterprises received multiple electronic fund transfer payments from several care centres and football clubs of approximately R32m.”
According to Kganyago, SIU investigations show that more than 400 care centres and football clubs made payments to accounts linked to Vilakazi and Zuma from money received from the NLC between 2019 and 2023.
The SIU previously obtained an order to freeze about R2.4m held in four bank accounts linked to Vilakazi and Zuma.
The NLC initiated a disciplinary process on the recommendations of the SIU. Kganyago said the disciplinary process, conducted from November 29 2023 to August 1 2024, found Vilakazi guilty of all charges and dismissed him on October 4 2024, marking a decisive step in addressing his gross misconduct, abuse of office and breaches of fiduciary duty.
“The SIU will continue to pursue officials who resign or are dismissed in the face of an investigation by freezing their pension benefits and instituting civil litigation to recover financial losses suffered by state institutions.”
The SIU was, in terms of Proclamation R32 of 2020, authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration in the affairs of the NLC and the conduct of NLC officials and to recover any financial losses suffered by the state.
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