Previous Lottery executive loses court bid to accessibility his pension
Previous Lottery executive loses court bid to accessibility his pension
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The Exclusive Tribunal has dismissed an software by Marubini Ramatsekisa, former Countrywide Lotteries Fee Main possibility officer, to acquire use of his R1.seven-million pension benefit.
The initial order blocking access was granted in December 2023.
The judge dismissed Ramatsekisa’s software to contain the get rescinded.
The Distinctive Investigating Device has fingered Ramatsekisa for his function inside a R4-million grant to the shelf firm, Zibsicraft, for any study to help 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 previous NLC Board chair Alfred Nevhutanda, and his wife.
Former Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) chief possibility officer Marubini Ramatsekisa has unsuccessful in his bid to overturn an get through the Exclusive Tribunal blocking usage of his pension resources.
The Original lottovip order was granted in December 2023 adhering to allegations that Ramatsekisa orchestrated a plan that resulted within the NLC dropping about R4-million. He was suspended in September 2022 and subsequently resigned.
Ramatsekisa sought to rescind or range this get, declaring it had been sought “erroneously” and granted in his absence.
But Specific Tribunal member Decide David Makhoba has dismissed his software and confirmed the interdict granted in favour on the Specific Investigating Unit (SIU).
Read through the judgment
Judge Makhoba also ruled that Ramatsekisa must pay back The prices of the appliance.
In his latest judgment, he stated the SIU experienced received an order preserving the pension profit, about R1.7-million, held by Liberty Lifestyle next an ex parte (suddenly to another facet) application.
The idea with the interdict was that he had prompted a loss of R4-million on the NLC.
It absolutely was alleged that Ramatsekisa ready a proposal for “proactive funding” to carry out a analyze to assist the development on the KhoiSan language.
The funding — R4 million — was awarded to a corporation known as Zibsicraft.
The SIU alleges that Ramatsekisa lied about speaking to a stakeholder within the Office of Arts and Society and he didn't be sure that Zibsicraft’s software for grant funding went throughout the typical processes. He didn't be sure that the men and women linked to that organisation had any one-way links to your KhoiSan Neighborhood or experienced ever performed any perform associated with the Local community.
Choose Makhoba stated the SIU had also alleged that Ramatsekisa experienced used the exact same technique in awarding a R5.5-million grant for building cricket during the Northern Cape.
These funding projects were not assessed, evaluated or adjudicated by a distributing company, but by previous NLC Main Functions Officer Phillemon Letwaba and himself.
Letwaba signed the grant arrangement on behalf on the NLC and Ramatsekisa signed as his witness.
Ramatesekisa submitted the interdict must be reconsidered and set aside.
He mentioned there was no evidence that he experienced colluded Along with the NLC to siphon income from it. He had only executed his administrative responsibilities as well as the SIU experienced not manufactured out a case that he was an “Lively and inclined facilitator”.
Choose Makhoba mentioned in these purposes, the evidence contained from the SIU application was “regarded from scratch”. The test was whether the SIU had built out a great scenario with the interdict it attained within the ex parte application.
He mentioned there were “shortcomings” while in the way where Ramatesekisa experienced handled the funding on the Zibsicraft issue. Zibsicraft had no credible monetary statements, regular procedures weren't followed, and the so-termed “Khoisan Local community url” didn't exist.
“The evidence prior to me implies that the grant resources were not employed for the intended function and shows a prima facie scenario which the applicant facilitated the unlawful grant awards. He did not gainsay the factual allegations built towards him,” Decide Makhoba reported.
SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago stated the Preliminary interdict had been received “quickly” just after Ramatsekisa resigned and wrote to his pension fund administrator, giving discover that he intended to withdraw his pension advantage.
Managing the allegations, he mentioned quickly after the proactive funding was accepted for your Khoisan venture, a few people today acquired and became administrators of Zibsicraft non-earnings organisation, a dormant, shelf organization. 10 days afterwards, the corporate created an software for your funding.
“The applying was accompanied by fiscal statements prepared to the durations ending 28 February 2018 and 28 February 2019. Nonetheless, the non-gain organisation only opened a bank account on 19 March 2019, six days in advance of it used for funding,” Kganyago stated.
“The SIU identified that with the R4-million, R2.two-million allegedly went to purchasing home for any church named the Higher Grace Christ Redeemer Church. The former NLC Board Chairperson, Alfred Nevhutanda, and his spouse, Mrs Tshilidzi Rachel Nevhutanda, represented the church during the give to acquire it.”
He claimed the SIU also intended to institute civil proceedings against Ramatsekisa to Get better damages endured through the NLC as a result of his perform.