Articles by Azarrah Karrim

A lotto trouble: marketing firm’s claims against new lottery operator land on Minister’s desk

UPDATE: On 2 April amaBhungane was forwarded a formal retraction from Social Pro Media (Pty) Ltd in which the company states that it “retracts and withdraws statements and allegations previously made concerning Sizekhaya Holdings (RF) (Pty) Ltd.” and that Social…


3 December 2025

Revealed: Maziya’s share in tainted IDT oxygen tender ‘left as it was’ – despite health minister’s promise

A R152-million contract with the Maziya–On Site Gas Systems joint venture (JV) to supply hospital oxygen plants has quietly remained with the Independent Development Trust (IDT) – despite public assurances from health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi that the entire tender…


29 October 2025

Ties that bind: Inside Mashatile’s inner circle behind SA’s new lottery operator

A cache of pictures and video shows the cozy ties between Deputy President Paul Mashatile and the inner circle behind the new lottery operator, Sizekhaya Holdings. It also introduces a key new figure linking them: Sbu Shabalala, the disgraced former…


28 June 2025

Lottery Jackpot: Mashatile’s family tied to new multi-billion-rand operator deal 

Sizekhaya Holdings, which landed the lucrative licence to operate South Africa’s national lottery for eight years, has links to Deputy President Paul Mashatile.  Among Sizekhaya’s shareholders is Bellamont Gaming, a company co-owned and co-directed by Khumo Bogatsu – Mashatile’s sister-in-law…


23 June 2025

IDT MISTRUST | Part 2: Minister Zikalala’s ‘whitewash’ that secured IDT CEO Malaka her job

Former public works minister Sihle Zikalala lowballed the findings of an investigation he had commissioned, paving the way for Tebogo Malaka’s appointment as chief executive of the Independent Development Trust (IDT) despite her involvement in a R45-million lease scandal. Part…


31 May 2025

IDT MISTRUST | Part 1: How minister Zikalala and his ‘comrade chair’ Mshengu nixed probes into CEO Malaka

NOTE: This series has been updated. See Editor’s Note below. Documents obtained by amaBhungane suggest that former public works and infrastructure minister Sihle Zikalala and his close comrade, then-Independent Development Trust (IDT) chair advocate Kwazi Mshengu, mounted parallel efforts to…


30 May 2025

IDT Mistrust: Beleaguered IDT paid R33m to company belonging to CEO Tebogo Malaka’s family member

The beleaguered Independent Development Trust (IDT) paid a company directed by an apparent family member of CEO Tebogo Malaka over R33 million – mainly for school building projects – between 2011 and 2017. Malaka was a regional general manager at…


15 April 2025

IDT mistrust: bid ‘manipulation’ in R436m road tenders brings Bulkeng back into spotlight

Signs of manipulation in award of R436m worth of road tenders, with largest going to Bulkeng, the company spotlighted in IDT health contract probe.


2 April 2025

IDT contractor embroiled in Health DG bribe allegations won highly suspect tender, new evidence shows

A trove of documents obtained by amaBhungane show how the Independent Development Trust (IDT) appointed a contractor embroiled in bribery allegations involving director general of the Department of Health Dr Sandile Buthelezi, despite obvious warning signs in the procurement process….


5 February 2025