The people responsible for looting funds from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) should not rest easy. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) are gradually reeling in those implicated, including several residents from the Vhembe district.
On 24 March, the acting head of the SIU, Mr Leonard Lekgetho, updated Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry on the latest developments in the investigations. Since the probe began in 2020, the SIU has investigated 690 cases in which the NLC is believed to have been defrauded, with the total value of the alleged fraud exceeding R2 billion.
One of the pressing questions was why so few of the alleged fraudsters have been jailed. Members of Parliament also sought details on the steps the SIU has taken to recover funds intended to assist needy South Africans.
In his presentation, Lekgetho identified 16 companies linked to senior officials or executives of the NLC. Many of these companies – including Mshandukane Trading, Mosokodi Water Solutions and Drilling, the Denzhe Family Trust, and the Ramulifho Family Trust – have roots in the Vhembe district.
He also named several non-profit organisations that were allegedly used to siphon money. Many of these, such as Simba Community Development (Thohoyandou), Uprising Youth Development (Louis Trichardt), and Denzhe Primary Care (Thohoyandou), were registered or active in the Vhembe region.
Lekgetho said 19 cases had been referred to the NPA and the names of 25 individuals provided for criminal prosecution. The SIU has already recovered R9.5 million in cash and frozen R6.8 million in pension funds. The Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) has secured preservation orders worth R78.2 million, while the Special Tribunal has granted preservation orders and review applications exceeding R626.5 million.
NPA head, Mr Andy Mothibi, said 14 cases are currently under investigation, with two already before the Kimberley court. He told the parliamentary committee that the NPA faces significant challenges in bringing cases to court, including a shortage of forensic experts.
“The appointment of a forensic firm is anticipated to be finalised by the end of April 2026. Once the money-flow analysis and forensic investigations are completed, the NPA will be positioned to make a decision in the matters,” Mothibi said.
The usual suspects
The SIU and NPA presentations shed light on key figures previously reported on by the Limpopo Mirror.
One of the first cases highlighted was Denzhe Primary Care, an NPO registered in Thohoyandou. It received R27.58 million to build a drug rehabilitation centre in Pretoria, but only R6 million was spent. The remaining funds were allegedly siphoned off by lawyer Lesley Ramulifho, NLC board member Adv William Huma, and the NLC’s chief operating officer, Mr Philemon Letwaba. The NPA has already obtained 36 witness affidavits and identified 20 bank accounts in this case.
Ramulifho, the central figure in this plot, is alleged to have channelled funds from various lottery projects through his Ramulifho Family Trust. Complaints have been filed against both him and Adv Huma at the Legal Practice Council.
Another of Ramulifho’s projects was the ill-fated school toilet project, where R20 million was paid to two shelf companies, Zibsifusion and Dinosys, to build toilets in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape. Only a few toilets were built, at highly inflated prices. The NPA has already obtained five witness affidavits, but is awaiting the appointment of a forensic accountant.
Another fraudulent lottery project exposed by the Limpopo Mirror involved Vhafamadi Secondary School. More than R25 million was paid to Simba Community Development, a Thohoyandou-based NPO, to build the school, but most of the money was allegedly siphoned off and diverted to companies linked to Letwaba.
Other implicated figures include former Louis Trichardt residents Collins Tshisimba and his wife, Promise Kharivhe. Their names are linked to at least 10 projects, involving more than R177 million in disbursed funds.
The SIU referred 13 cases to the NLC to implement disciplinary action against staff involved. The former COO, Mr Philemon Letwaba, was one of these. He was initially cleared, but resigned from the NLC shortly before a second disciplinary hearing could take place. His family trust and several family members are implicated in the alleged fraud. The SIU believes he was one of the masterminds behind the looting, with hundreds of millions ending up in entities he controlled. His pension fund, amounting to R2.7 million, has been frozen.
Nevhutanda wants to stop it in court
Another alleged kingpin is the former Vhembe-based academic, Alfred Nevhutanda. The former NLC board chairperson is accused of misappropriating grant funding for personal luxury, including a R27-million mansion in Pretoria and a Rolls Royce. He also allegedly used lottery money to build a massive, high-walled mansion near the Nandoni Dam, known locally as the “White House of Mulenzhe”. As of late 2025, the house remained unfinished and approximately is 90% complete.
Nevhutanda is also engaged in legal action against the SIU. He has instituted review proceedings in the North Gauteng High Court, seeking to set aside the decision by the President authorising an investigation into the affairs of the NLC. He is also asking the court to declare that the SIU and the National Director of Public Prosecutions may not utilise any of the evidence and documents obtained during the investigations.