South Africa has appointed a new chairperson to head up its Gauteng Gambling Board (GGB).
Leading South African lawyer Advocate Anthea Platt SC has been named the board’s new chairperson. Her appointment was officially confirmed by the Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development, Parks Tau.
According to Tau, the appointment was made with a specific focus on increasing revenue and income for the South African province.
Assisting Platt will be local businessman Timothy Sukazi, who will serve the board as its new deputy chairperson.
Proper Governance is Key
The next order of business to be handled by the board will be to name a new executive management team. According to Tau, the recent appointments and new team to be named form part of a provincial push for resolving several matters of governance.
The GGB is vital for all matters regarding the proper and revenue-focused management of gambling in Gauteng. To this end, the provinces’ gambling industry plays a critical role in matters of job creation and growing the local economy, he explained.
Tau also called on the new board to ramp up all efforts to promote inclusivity in the gambling industry from a socio-economic point of view. He said this transformation will be pivotal as a key “deliverable” of the gambling board.
Tau furthermore voiced certain expectations following the new appointments.
He said the expectation right now is for the newly elected board to drive progress and transformation forward. This, he explained, will greatly benefit not only the people of the province but as well as the entire country.
Board Plays an Important Role
Since its establishment in 1996, the GGB has played a prominent role in collecting gambling taxes on behalf of the government of Gauteng. To date, taxes well more than R14 billion have been collected on behalf of the provincial government.
Gambling taxes brought much relief since the outbreak of the global health crisis. As such, the GGB has played a crucial role in terms of being a source of much-needed revenue for the province.
Platt, too, weighed in on the challenges faced by the board as it continues to strive towards full regulation of the local gambling industry. She said the board is fully committed to overseeing the gambling industry in a way that is transparent, capable, and ethical. This approach will mean immense benefits for all the involved stakeholders, she explained.
The new gambling board was appointed according to the provisions of the Gauteng Gambling Board Act No. 4 of 1996.
