Two men from Soweto have appeared in court on charges of misappropriating a lottery grant

Two men from Soweto appeared in court this week charged with fraud and theft in connection with the misappropriation of funds from the National Lottery Commission (NLC). Jeremain Petrus Sedibe and Malesela Johannes Khoza received a grant of 885,000 rand (about 43,000 euros), which was intended for the implementation of a project to combat gender-based violence in the Northern Cape Province.

Sediba and Khoza were arrested in August 2024 by the Department for Combating Serious Economic Crimes. It is alleged that two men from Soweto submitted forged documents and work reports in order to receive funding from NLC, which was not aimed at implementing a project to combat gender-based violence, but for personal use through money laundering.

Sedibe and Khoza identified themselves as co-founders and received 500,000 rand (24,500 euros) into a bank account on December 1, 2021. To receive the second tranche in the amount of 385.00 rand (about 19,000 euros) they allegedly provided forged documents justifying the expenses.

It was also established that Sedibe was associated with at least 6 criminal organizations related to programs that were never implemented after receiving the grant. The man was charged with another charge of receiving a grant from the Moteo Sports and Entertainment Foundation in the amount of 9 million rand (about 441,000 euros) intended for the construction of a sports center in Soweto, which was never built.

There is a possibility that officials from the provincial Administration of the Northern Cape Province, who signed questionable documents, contributed to the fraud. Among these employees was Aobakwe Gaobuse, who signed the grant. Notably, he is one of seven employees who were victims of the SIU-Hawks raid in 2022.

The trial is scheduled to resume on October 7, during which time the defendants must appoint a new lawyer. The deposit for Sedibe was 15,000 rand, for Khoza - 10,000 rand.