BUSINESS NEWS
Gidani prepares despite legal challenge
Posted Thu, 25 Jan 2007
Gidani is continuing its preparations to operate the national lottery despite a legal challenge from Uthingo, the company said on Tuesday. "We continue to assert that we won the license to operate the national lottery from 1 April 2007 in a thorough, scrupulous and well-managed, fair contest," Gidani chairperson and interim chief executive Bongani Khumalo wrote in a statement. He said "scores" of Uthingo employees, including senior executives, had responded to its job advertisements. As part of its preparations, thousands of pieces of equipment, including shop fittings and lottery terminals, had begun arriving in the country. The company had started training 30 000 lottery operators. The company's Midrand head office was almost ready for occupation in February. "We have employed the critical mass of managers, technical experts and other operatives, and some of our technicians are already on route to Athens for training and orientation with our technical partner
Intralot," said Khumalo. He added that Gidani was defending Uthingo's court action and would respect the due process of law. Gidani Ltd was awarded the licence to operate the national lottery in October last year. The licence would allow Gidani to conduct all lotteries covered by the Lotteries Act for seven years from 1 April, 2007, and provided for no interruption or significant changes to the current games.
Gidani was a South African company with a "significant" black economic empowerment component and government as a 20 percent shareholder.
Sapa
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