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EBET ACCUSED OF FAILING TO PAY OUT E4M WINNINGS

02/02/2024 12:41:00 Kwanele Dlamini

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MBABANE – Swazi Bet (Pty) Ltd, trading as EBet, has been accused of failure to disburse winnings to punters amounting to over E4 million.

This is according to Nonjabuliso Maziya, who is one of the directors of the betting company. Maziya is involved in a battle with South African operators of the EBet licence, Ioannis Calivitis and Willem Delport, as well as some Maziya family members, over the directorship of the company.

Nonjabuliso made this allegation when she and the operators of the licence appeared before the Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Jane Mkhonta. Both parties had filed their own appeal before the minister, after the Chairperson of the Gaming Control Board, Simo Simelane, issued his ruling.

Simelane ruled, among other things, that two persons be appointed as co-holders of the betting licence, with Nonjabuliso and Tamama Maziya being given first preference. The two failed to work together as co-holders of the licence. Nonjabuliso submitted during the appeal that the gaming Board was supposed to investigate complaints filed by members of the public on unpaid winnings.

She argued to the Gaming Control Board that Tamama had not stated what prejudice she would suffer by producing the bank statements, audited financials and a report on the alleged unpaid winnings amounting to over E4 million.
Nonjabuliso told the minister that there was no shred of evidence of how much had been invested in EBet.

“It is on record that they are refusing to file their bank statements, audited financials for the past two years and a report explaining the unpaid winnings. Further, it is on record that the Gaming Board has requested these documents for the past two years.

“The Gaming Board does not know how much levies EBet is supposed to pay government, because they are refusing with the bank statements. EBet is deliberately frustrating the regulator of the gaming industry, yet they want a renewal of the licence,” Nonjabuliso submitted.

She stated that she was the only one eligible to hold the licence of Swazi Bet (Pty) Ltd, in accordance with Section 38(2) of the Act. She said the reason she was the only one with the relevant documents was because she was the rightful holder of the licence, in accordance with the Act.

Statements

She argued that the other parties should at least file the bank statements, audited financials and report on the unpaid winnings. “The Gaming Board needs to interrogate the unpaid winnings complaints amounting to over E4 million and they need to see the bank statements in order to see if the correct levies are being paid to the government.”

During a meeting on December 14, 2023, according to Nonjabuliso, the Gaming Board stated that it had a letter from Sibusiso B. Shongwe and Associates, wherein he undertook to furnish the Board with all documents in accordance with Section 23 of the Act.

“It is important to state that nothing was filed. Instead, Mr Shongwe, on December 14, 2023 tried to explain to the Board why he did not file anything and proposed that two licences be issued on grounds of morals, which is in contravention with the Act,” Nonjabuliso mentioned. She said the Gaming Board was exercising its authority in investigating the complaints of unpaid winnings, in terms of the Act.

She told the minister that the explanations by the other parties did not help the Board to investigate the matter. Nonjabuliso submitted that as a public body, the Gaming Control Board should always be accountable, open and accessible to the public and uphold integrity. She said the Gaming Control Board was supposed to investigate the complaints of the punters. She submitted that the requirements for renewing the licence must be met in accordance with the statute.

“Further, we submit that even if the matters are subject of litigation, that does not stop the other parties from giving the Gaming Board bank statements and audited financials.” The background of the matter is that the original holder of the betting licence, the late Mduduzi Maziya, incorporated the company Swazi Bet (Pty) Ltd. The company was granted a bookmarkers (sports betting) licence by the Gaming Control Board. The company did not commence trading during the lifetime of Mduduzi, who passed on in 2020.

Demise

Soon after his demise, his son Mxolisi Maziya, operationalised the company to trade and was registered as the responsible person for the purposes of licensing and attending to all the trading requirements of the company licence.

Mxolisi also passed on, and that is when a squabble on who should now take over as the principal officer ensued. Sibusiso Shongwe of Sibusiso B. Shongwe and Associates represented Calivitis, Delport and the Maziya family in the matter. Mlungisi Khumalo of Khumalo Attorneys appeared for Nonjabuliso.