Previous Lottery executive loses courtroom bid to obtain his pension
Previous Lottery executive loses courtroom bid to obtain his pension
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The Special Tribunal has dismissed an software by Marubini Ramatsekisa, previous National Lotteries Fee Main danger officer, to have use of his R1.7-million pension benefit.
The initial get blocking entry was granted in December 2023.
The decide dismissed Ramatsekisa’s software to contain the buy rescinded.
The Specific Investigating Unit has fingered Ramatsekisa for his role in a R4-million grant to your shelf organization, Zibsicraft, to get a review to assist the event in the Khoisan language.
R2.two-million of this, the SIU states, went to buy house for the upper Grace Christ Redeemer Church, represented by former NLC Board chair Alfred Nevhutanda, and his wife.
Former Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) Main danger officer Marubini Ramatsekisa has failed in his bid to overturn an purchase via the Unique Tribunal blocking entry to his pension money.
The Preliminary ตรวจ order was granted in December 2023 pursuing allegations that Ramatsekisa orchestrated a scheme that resulted while in the NLC getting rid of about R4-million. He was suspended in September 2022 and subsequently resigned.
Ramatsekisa sought to rescind or differ this purchase, saying it absolutely was sought “erroneously” and granted in his absence.
But Unique Tribunal member Judge David Makhoba has dismissed his application and confirmed the interdict granted in favour in the Specific Investigating Unit (SIU).
Read through the judgment
Decide Makhoba also ruled that Ramatsekisa should spend the costs of the applying.
In his new judgment, he claimed the SIU had obtained an buy preserving the pension reward, about R1.7-million, held by Liberty Everyday living adhering to an ex parte (all of sudden to the other aspect) software.
The basis with the interdict was that he had brought about a loss of R4-million on the NLC.
It absolutely was alleged that Ramatsekisa well prepared a proposal for “proactive funding” to perform a study to assist the development with the KhoiSan language.
The funding — R4 million — was awarded to a company known as Zibsicraft.
The SIU alleges that Ramatsekisa lied about speaking to a stakeholder from the Department of Arts and Culture and he didn't ensure that Zibsicraft’s software for grant funding went in the ordinary procedures. He did not make sure that the individuals related to that organisation experienced any inbound links on the KhoiSan Neighborhood or experienced ever finished any work related to the Neighborhood.
Judge Makhoba reported the SIU experienced also alleged that Ramatsekisa experienced utilised the identical technique in awarding a R5.5-million grant for producing cricket within the Northern Cape.
These funding assignments were not assessed, evaluated or adjudicated by a distributing agency, but by former NLC Chief Operations Officer Phillemon Letwaba and himself.
Letwaba signed the grant arrangement on behalf of your NLC and Ramatsekisa signed as his witness.
Ramatesekisa submitted which the interdict ought to be reconsidered and set aside.
He mentioned there was no evidence that he had colluded With all the NLC to siphon income from it. He experienced only performed his administrative obligations and also the SIU experienced not designed out a scenario that he was an “active and keen facilitator”.
Decide Makhoba stated in these purposes, the evidence contained in the SIU application was “regarded as from scratch”. The take a look at was if the SIU experienced produced out a fantastic circumstance for your interdict it acquired during the ex parte software.
He stated there were “shortcomings” while in the fashion where Ramatesekisa experienced addressed the funding of the Zibsicraft make a difference. Zibsicraft had no credible fiscal statements, usual procedures were not followed, plus the so-called “Khoisan Group connection” didn't exist.
“The evidence before me implies that the grant resources were not useful for the meant objective and reveals a prima facie situation which the applicant facilitated the unlawful grant awards. He did not gainsay the factual allegations built towards him,” Decide Makhoba said.
SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago explained the Original interdict had been acquired “swiftly” after Ramatsekisa resigned and wrote to his pension fund administrator, giving recognize that he intended to withdraw his pension gain.
Addressing the allegations, he reported before long once the proactive funding was approved with the Khoisan challenge, a few people today obtained and became directors of Zibsicraft non-earnings organisation, a dormant, shelf enterprise. 10 days later, the company made an software to the funding.
“The application was accompanied by economical statements geared up for your durations ending 28 February 2018 and 28 February 2019. On the other hand, the non-earnings organisation only opened a banking account on 19 March 2019, six days right before it applied for funding,” Kganyago explained.
“The SIU uncovered that in the R4-million, R2.2-million allegedly went towards getting assets for any church named the Higher Grace Christ Redeemer Church. The former NLC Board Chairperson, Alfred Nevhutanda, and his wife, Mrs Tshilidzi Rachel Nevhutanda, represented the church inside the give to invest in it.”
He stated the SIU also intended to institute civil proceedings towards Ramatsekisa to recover damages experienced via the NLC because of his perform.