Gauteng dismisses Gambling Board CEO after forensic report finds governance failures

Gauteng has dismissed Gambling Board CEO Karabo Mbele and suspended CFO Oscar Maripane after an independent forensic investigation found alleged financial misconduct, procurement irregularities and serious governance failures at the regulator.

Gauteng’s provincial government has dismissed Dr Karabo Mbele as chief executive officer of the Gauteng Gambling Board following a forensic investigation into governance and financial controls at the entity. The decision was announced by Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Agriculture and Rural Development Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, who said Mbele’s employment contract had been terminated with immediate effect.

The investigation was conducted by an independent legal team led by Advocate William Mokhare SC. According to the Gauteng government, the report identified serious breaches of governance, alleged abuse of public resources, procurement irregularities and financial misconduct within the Gambling Board.

Ramokgopa said Mbele was implicated in “serious governance failures and gross misconduct”, including alleged interference in funding adjudication processes, approval of funding before governance procedures were finalised, authorisation of payments without supporting documentation and failures in compliance and oversight obligations.

The report also made findings against CFO Oscar Maripane. These included alleged failures in financial governance, procurement irregularities, non-compliance with the Public Finance Management Act and breakdowns in internal controls and statutory reporting obligations. Maripane has been suspended pending the outcome of an internal disciplinary process.

News24 reported that the allegations include the irregular allocation of about R73 million in Social Development Fund and Corporate Social Investment funding before proper evaluation, adjudication and board approval processes were completed. The report also referred to the alleged improper disbursement of R23 million in Social and Economic Development funding in April 2025.

The governance crisis comes at a sensitive time for the Gauteng Gambling Board. Ramokgopa said the entity currently has no constituted governing board after several members resigned in December 2025. The province is now moving to appoint an administrator while a new board is being established.

The Gauteng Gambling Board is one of South Africa’s most important provincial gambling regulators, overseeing licensing, compliance and enforcement in a major market for casinos, betting and gaming. The governance failures are therefore not only an internal management issue, but also a risk to public confidence in gambling oversight, revenue collection and the integrity of licensed operations.

For Gauteng, the dismissal and suspension mark a direct intervention aimed at stabilising the regulator. The next test will be whether the province can rebuild the board’s governance structures, complete disciplinary processes and restore confidence among operators, consumers and public institutions.