South Africa’s missing lottery grants scandal has seemingly increased in scale, now spilling over to a local radio station.
Jazi FM is the country’s biggest community radio station. As such, it has been eligible to receive grants from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC).
But it has apparently been embroiled in a larger scandal, which has so far seen South Africa’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) attempting to track up to R2bn (£88.2m) in allegedly misused NLC financing.
Rapitse Montsho, Jozi FM chairperson, was apprehended by authorities late last year on suspicion of fraud and theft, with a case building against him that probed an alleged involvement in the misappropriation of around R35m.
However, he was subsequently released not long after due to deteriorating health. He was given a bail condition to not contact any party in the case while the investigation was ongoing.
And while Montsho’s fraud and theft charges were provisionally withdrawn last Friday while his case is being referred to the Specialised Commercial Crimes Unit (SCCU) for further assessment, media outlet GroundUp has reported that Montsho could find himself in more trouble after allegedly breaking his bail conditions.
The news portal added that two affidavits from key witnesses have reported that Montsho has contacted them through his attorney earlier in January, with them alleging that the defendant’s intention was “intimidation and harassment”.
Montsho has denied any wrongdoing for GroundUp. Meanwhile, Mpho Mhlongo, Jozi FM CEO, has been receptive to the decision to move Montsho’s case to the SCCU, adding that it would help with the transparency of the final ruling.
He concluded: “The referral to the NPA and SCCU allows for a thorough, impartial, and legally sound assessment of the issues at hand, consistent with the principles of accountability and the rule of law.”
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