A Gauteng Member of the Provincial Legislature from Build One South Africa has laid criminal charges of corruption and abuse of power against Gauteng Gambling Board CEO Karabo Mbele.
The charges were opened at Bramley Police Station on Friday, 15 May 2026 by BOSA Gauteng MPL Ayanda Allie.
BOSA spokesperson Roger Solomons said the party has also called on Gauteng MEC for Economic Development Vuyiswa Ramokgopa to suspend Mbele pending the outcome of the criminal investigations.
Solomons said the allegations, if proven true, would amount to serious corruption, fraud and abuse of public office, as well as major violations of ethical and statutory obligations.
“The conduct outlined above may amount to violations of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (PRECCA), the Companies Act, and the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA),” said Solomons.
The criminal complaint follows mounting allegations of governance failures at the Gauteng Gambling Board, an entity that falls under the Gauteng Department of Economic Development.
Mbele is accused of allegedly facilitating the issuing of award letters for Social Development Fund (SDF) and Corporate Social Investment (CSI) allocations worth approximately R73 million during the 2023/24 financial year while evaluation processes were still underway.
Allie alleged that the award letters were distributed before due diligence, evaluation and adjudication processes had been completed, without board approval and in breach of governance standards.
“Ms Mbele was allegedly involved in the appointment of CCB Recruitment Agency, an entity registered at her personal residence at 43 Link Road, Athol, Johannesburg, and for which she served as a director from 29 July 2022 to 09 February 2023. This constitutes a direct conflict of interest and an alleged breach of the duty to disclose personal and financial interests,” said Solomons.
“In November 2024, payments totalling R747 000 were allegedly made to this entity for recruitment services without adherence to procurement requirements. Additionally, several candidates sourced through CCB Recruitment reportedly lacked the necessary qualifications or suitability for the positions.”
Mbele is further accused of appointing KSM Human Capital Solutions, another company where she had allegedly previously served as a director, without disclosing a conflict of interest.
According to BOSA, the company allegedly received R779 400 for recruitment services through a process said to have bypassed procurement rules and proper vetting procedures.
Another allegation relates to the disbursement of R23 million in Social and Economic Development funding last April. BOSA claims the funds were allegedly released despite instructions from the board to restart the SED process and without resolving earlier concerns or obtaining the required approvals.
“The alleged violations occurred during Ms Mbele’s tenure as CEO, however, these were reportedly not her first offences,” Solomons said.
“At the time of her appointment, Ms Mbele had allegedly already been involved in improperly awarding R2 million in SED funding to Dono Blox, a company registered at her and/or her mother’s residential address at 299 Daubeney Road, Mondeor, Johannesburg.”
He alleged that the allocation was made without due diligence, project assessments, beneficiary vetting or declaration of conflicts of interest.
The allegations against Mbele have not been tested in court, and no findings of wrongdoing have yet been made.
