Nothing will stop us from lottery takeover, says Sandile Zungu

BusinessmanSandile Zungusays nothing will stop his company from taking over the national lottery in four months, and they are preparing the rollout. Speaking to Sowetan editor Sibongakonke Shoba for the podcastIn the Know,Zungu said Sizekhaya Holdings is set to shake up South Africa’s gaming scene as it gears up to take over the national lottery on June 1. Sizekhaya, a consortium led by KwaZulu-Natal-based Zungu andMoses Tembe, was picked as the preferred bidder for the lucrative eight-year licence to operate the national lottery in May last year.

However, the awarding of the contract was mired in controversy, as amaBhungane, an investigative journalism organisation, reported that Sizekhaya had links with Deputy PresidentPaul Mashatile. Speaking to Sowetan,Zungusaid, “Nothing will stop us”, and that they were busy with the rollout. “We have identified offices; we are recruiting; we are sharpening our marketing campaigns.

We are training people; we are signing retailers to sell our products. “On June 1 we will go online. Nothing is going to stop us.

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We are excited about it,” Zungu said. WATCH |Zungu warns ANC ‘gatekeeping’ threatens party’s future Zungu added he hoped they would be able to excite South Africans. “We hope we can ramp up the gaming revenue for the benefit of communities, who will benefit through the agency designated to distribute the proceeds,” he said.

Zungu also added that he had nothing to do with the numbers. “People know it’s a game of chance and they must take their chances.”

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