BOSA seeks transparency on preferred lottery operator Gold Rush Consortium

Build One South Africa (BOSA) is calling for full transparency following the revelation that Gold Rush Consortium is the preferred bidder for the multi-billion-rand contract to operate South Africa’s national lottery.

This follows our submission of a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application to obtain the names of all individuals who serve on the adjudication panel, as well as consultants and advisors who support the bid evaluation process.

From what is in the public domain, at least two members of the National Lotteries Commission’s bid evaluation committee appear to have links to the consortium: Thiran Marimuthu and Anne-Marie Pooley.

Marimuthu attended the consortium’s 25th anniversary event, while Pooley has a direct financial stake in a venue operating Gold Rush gaming machines and has become its sole director.

These connections, along with Gold Rush’s broader political associations – including Sandile Zungu’s ANC connection – suggest the consortium is far from impartial and should be subject to greater scrutiny

South Africans have a right to know whether this process has been conducted above board, or whether it is tainted by insider influence or political interference.

BOSA will leave no stone unturned in investigating this matter. We reiterate our call to the Minister of Trade, Industry & Competition, Parks Tau, to:

1. Publish the full list of adjudicators and consultants involved in the lottery tender process;
2. Disclose any declarations of interest made by these individuals;
3. Table a report to Parliament detailing the evaluation criteria and scoring of each bid.

We will not allow South Africa’s public resources, or the hopes of the vulnerable communities who depend on lottery funding, to be hijacked by cronyism or corruption.