Pretoria High Court deems Sizekhaya’s national lottery licence invalid

South Africa’s national lottery licence award to Sizekhaya Holdings has been set aside by the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, and the licence agreement declared invalid. Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau must reconsider the award, Joburg Etc reports.

The court found that a ministerial committee had introduced a second evaluation process not provided for in the original request for proposals. It reassessed bids using different weightings, a process found to be procedurally unfair, according to Africa Daily.

An evaluation ranked Ringeta Consortium first with 73.92 points and Sizekhaya second with 72.95. Tau announced Sizekhaya as the winner in May 2025, after eight bids were considered, according to the dtic’s official announcement.

Why the award was set aside

Judge Neil Davis said the ‘unilateral insertion of a further process … would be procedurally unfair’. Tau must now make a fresh decision without relying on the committee’s report or recommendations.

Lottery draws to continue

The invalidity order is suspended for two six-month periods, allowing time for reconsideration and, if another operator is selected, a new agreement and handover. The court cited the public interest, including the dependence of old-age homes and children’s homes on lottery funding.

Sizekhaya says tickets, scheduled draws and prize payments will continue as usual, despite expressing disappointment, according toEWN. The minister, NLC and Sizekhaya must also pay Ithuba and Ringeta’s legal costs.