Minnie Dlamini repays R50,000 after SIU probe into National Lotteries grants
The SIU has concluded a settlement with TV personality and presenter Minenhle Dlamini, who agreed to repay R50,000 received from an NLC-funded Mshandukani Foundation project not used for its intended purpose.
Image: Instagram/minniedlamini
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has successfully concluded a settlement agreement with Minenhle Dlamini.
She is one of the beneficiaries who irregularly received funds from the Mshandukani Foundation NPO as part of an ongoing investigation into the misappropriation of National Lotteries Commission grant funding.
In terms of the settlement agreement, Dlamini has agreed to repay the full amount of R50,000 she received in 2016 from the Mshandukani Foundation NPO, which was funded through an NLC grant intended for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games Roadshow.
The funds were not used for their intended purpose, said the Special Investigating Unit.
SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the investigation revealed that the Mshandukani Foundation NPO, acting as a conduit applicant through the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), received approximately R24.8 million from the NLC.
He said these funds were subsequently distributed to several beneficiaries, including Dlamini, “without lawful justification or in contravention of the grant agreement.
''Ms Dlamini has fully cooperated with the SIU investigation and has acknowledged that the funds were not lawfully due to her,'' Kganyago said.
He said the repayment “forms part of the SIU’s broader efforts to recover misappropriated public funds and hold all recipients of irregular payments accountable, regardless of the amount involved”.
He further said the SIU continues to pursue civil and criminal action against other individuals and entities implicated in the broader scheme, including former NLC officials, board members and other recipients of irregular payments.
Kganyago said the recovered funds would be returned to the National Lotteries Commission for redistribution to lawful beneficiaries in line with its mandate to support good causes.
“The primary mission of the SIU is to recover proceeds from beneficiaries of NLC grant funding who are involved in unlawful activities, thereby restoring the State’s financial losses.”
The SIU was authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa through Proclamation R32 of 2020 to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration within the NLC and to recover financial losses incurred by the State.
Kganyago said the unit was empowered to institute civil proceedings in the High Court or a Special Tribunal in terms of the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act 74 of 1996, adding that “any evidence of criminal conduct uncovered during investigations will be forwarded to the National Prosecuting Authority for further legal action”.
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