South Africa names NGB board after 12-year governance gap
The nine-member board faces an agenda spanning illegal gambling, advertising oversight and consumer protection, with appointments still subject to qualification and security checks.
South Africa.- South Africa has appointed a nine-member board for the National Gambling Board (NGB), ending more than a decade without a permanent governing board at the national gambling regulator.
Cabinet approved the appointments at its meeting on September 23, with the government publishing the decision on September 29. Dr Makgathatso Charlotte Chana Pilane-Majake has been appointed chairperson, while Kganki Matabane will serve as deputy chairperson. The other members are Chuma Fani, Zoleka Gloria Bula, Silochini Pillay, Milton Ntwana, Niklasina Maria Kruger, Khayalethu Ntimbela and Sizakele Magangoe.
Ntwana joins as the South African Police Service representative, while Kruger represents the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition. Ntimbela represents National Treasury and Magangoe represents the Department of Social Development. The appointments remain subject to the required qualification and security checks.
The appointments follow a prolonged period in which the NGB operated without a board. The regulator’s 2023/24 annual report states that it had been under administration since 2014, with Caroline Kongwa serving as the accounting authority.
The situation dates back to September 2014, when then trade and industry minister Rob Davies removed the NGB board pending a forensic investigation and appointed two administrators to oversee its day-to-day affairs. The board was not restored during the subsequent period of administration, leaving the regulator without permanent board-level governance until the latest appointments.
The new board takes office as the NGB expands its regulatory activity in online gambling, advertising oversight and efforts to keep unlicensed operators out of the market. In April, the NGB launched a verified operators portal listing licensed gambling businesses to help the public distinguish legal operators from illegal gambling sites and establishments.
The NGB also recently formalised its cooperation with the Advertising Regulatory Board to improve oversight of gambling advertising across traditional and digital media and strengthen consumer protection. These measures will form part of the regulatory agenda facing the new board as it takes charge of the NGB’s national mandate.
