National Lottery Board Stalls Payment to Organizations

June 6 - Non profit organizations in South Africa are frustrated with the National Lottery Board for not paying up the funds that were promised them to keep their charities going.

The main problem seems to be with the application process, with the Board needing to review and approve thousands of appeals each year. As a result, confusion reigns in the process, with organizations not knowing whether their application was even received, whether they are up for review or whether their application has been approved or not.

In response, the National Lottery Board said that its staff were still processing applications for funding and that their distribution agents would be contacting applicants in the near future. However, they admitted that there was some room for improvement with their system. "When we next call for applications, letters of acknowledgement will be sent out," said Sershan Naidoo, the National Lottery Board's spokesman.

In the meantime, many non profit organizations are struggling with their depleting funds, with many saying that they are not sure whether they will be able to keep their doors open for much longer if funding is not forthcoming.

The Port Elizabeth Mental Health service, for example, which serves over 6000 people, depends mostly on funding from the National Lottery Board. "We never had a problem with the national lottery until last year," said the organization's director, Sheldine Septoe. "We've not heard whether or not they're going to fund us."

The organization now finds itself with almost no funding and is not sure whether they will be able to continue its operations next year. "I really don't know how we're going to make it through next month," said Septoe, "We're working on a month-to-month basis now".

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