The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) has concluded a four-day stakeholder engagement tour of South Africa’s Western Cape province, highlighting the impact of lottery funding on communities, sports development, culture and heritage preservation.
Hosted by the Western Cape Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Sport, the tour included stakeholder meetings, site visits and community engagements focused on projects supported by NLC funding across the province. During the tour, NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz met with Western Cape MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport Ricardo Mackenzie to discuss opportunities for collaboration between the commission and the provincial government to advance culture, arts and sport.
At Newlands, Scholtz and NLC Board Chairperson Tembinkosi Bonakele presented a cheque to Cricket South Africa in support of preparations for the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. According to the NLC, the funding will support stadium upgrades in host provinces, alongside cricket development and legacy projects across all nine provinces of South Africa.
The tour concluded with a visit to the Iziko Nelson Mandela Prison House, a National Heritage Site associated with Nelson Mandela’s final period of imprisonment. Mandela spent the last 14 months of his 27-year imprisonment there, from December 1988 until his release on February 11, 1990.
The site is currently undergoing restoration to preserve its historical and cultural significance. Through the Western Cape engagements, the NLC highlighted the role of lottery funding in supporting sports infrastructure, community development, cultural initiatives and the preservation of South Africa’s heritage.
Olaide Adebimpe
findmoreafrica.com