South Africa: Gauteng regulator CEO removed after forensic probe

The Gauteng Gambling Board has removed CEO Karabo Mbele from her position and suspended CFO Oscar Maripane after a forensic investigation found procurement irregularities, financial governance failures and alleged non-compliance with the Public Finance Management Act.

Gauteng Economic Development MEC Vuyiswa Ramakgopa announced the decision after taking office six weeks ago. The investigation was commissioned in 2025 by former MEC Lebogang Maile and concluded in January by an independent legal team.

The report implicated Mbele in funding adjudication interference, improper payment and funding authorisations, and oversight failures. Maripane has been suspended while further processes continue.

Ramakgopa said: “Leadership positions in government cannot become shelters from accountability.”

The board is also not currently fully constituted after several resignations in December. Ramakgopa said a process is underway to appoint an administrator to oversee the establishment of a new board.

The governance intervention comes during a period of rapid change in South Africa’s gambling sector. National gross gambling revenue reached R74.5bn ($4.3bn) in 2024-25, with betting accounting for R51.97bn of that total. 

Online betting represented more than 85% of betting GGR, reflecting the shift away from traditional retail and casino-led gambling activity.

Gauteng has not maintained its previous position in the market. Maile said in December that the province’s share of national gambling revenue had fallen from 35% in 2019 to 18%, reducing income from taxes, levies and licensing fees.

That decline has implications beyond the regulator itself, as gambling revenue supports enterprise development, job creation and community programs in the province.

Earlier this year, South Africa’s National Treasury extended the public consultation period on its proposed 20% online gambling tax as debate intensified around gambling regulation and fiscal reform.