XOLILENTULI-
ChiefFinancialOfficer
Ntuliisthewomanwhoholdsthepurse
strings.Theaccomplishedcharteredac-
countantjoinedNLCin 2014 asa financial
manager.Sheservedinthatpositionuntil
shewaspromotedtoCFOin2017.
Ntuli,whoholdsa B.Comdegreein
accounting,a B.Comhonoursanda CTA,
hasa glitteringresume. Priortojoining
the NLC, she had built her career inor-ADVOCATENOMPUMELELONENE
CompanySecretary
Nenestartedhercareerinmarketing.
Beinga hardworkeranddedicat-
edachieverwitha never-say-die
attitude,shestudiedlawwhilework-
ing,a journeywhichhasseenher
transitiontohercurrentcareer,and
workingasa CompanySecretary.
Nenehasbuilthercareerin
differentorganisationsincludingLife
HealthCareandtheIDC.Theexpe-
riencehasgivenhera veryclearun-
derstandingofcompanyethics. She
isanadmittedadvocate,andholdsan
LLB,a B.CominMarketingandisa
MasterscandidateinCorruptionand
GovernanceattheUniversityofSus-
sex.The38-year-oldcertifiedethics
officer and chartered secretary joinedtheNLCfouryearsago,andistasked
withprovidingguidance,adviceand
counseltotheboardoftheNLCand
isa custodianoftheorganisation’s
ethics.
AfellowofCharteredSecretar-
iesSouthernAfrica(CSSA), Nene
ensurestheefficientadministration
ofNLCparticularlyinregardto
ensuringcompliancewithstatutory
andregulatoryrequirements.She
alsoensuresthatthedecisionsofthe
boardareimplemented.Nenehas
beeninstrumentalinintroducing
technologicalplatformsthatenabled
theorganisationtomeasurethe
effectivenessofitsprogrammes.She
hasalsobeenresponsibleforimprov-
ing thelevelsofcompliancewith
government best practices.ganisationsincludingBMW,PwCandthe
AuditorGeneralofSouthAfrica,where
sheservedherarticles.
Inherposition,the38-year-oldis
responsiblefortheoverallfinancialstrat-
egyanddirectionatNLC.
Underherstewardship,theNLChas
achievedfourcleanauditsandshehas
beeninstrumentalinenhancingtheef-
fectivenessofprocurementprocesses.
Shehasalsohelpedensuretheadop-
tionofanoutward-looking,beneficia-
ry-centricapproachintheorganisation.
"Intheworkthatwedowepride
ourselvesforpayingsupplierswithin
recordtime.Wehavealsoimprovedour
turnaroundtimeforpaymentofgrants,”
shesays.
“I’mextremelyproudofthefinancial
infrastructurewehavebuilt.I ames-
peciallyproudofthefinancialacumen
wehaveinstilledintheorganisation's
culture,"beamsNtuli.
Shesaysbeingpersonallyinvestedin
NLC'smissionisa guidingprincipleof
hers,andtheopportunityto change lives
while doing it is a gift.isresponsibleforoverseeingthe
regulatoryactivitiesoftheNLC,in-
cludingensuringfairplayinlotteries
andcombatingillegallotteries.
Acertifiedinternalauditorwho
holdsanMBA,shejoinedtheor-
ganisationin 2012 andhasoverseen
hundredsoflottodraws.
Togetherwitha teamoftwo
managersand 17 teammembers,the
Soweto-bornauditormakessurethe
organisationthatisawardedtheli-
cencetooperatetheNationalLottery
(currentlyIthubaHoldings)adheres
tothelicenceagreement.
Herdutiesspanregulationto
playerprotectionandenforcement
whereillegallotteriesexist.Theyare
alsotaskedwithregisteringsociety
lotterieswhicharerunbyNGOs.
"Lotteryisa gameoftrust.Our
goalistoensuretherightprize
goestotherightperson,eachtime
andeverytime.Wealsoprotectthe
winnersandthepublicbyholding
operatorstotheircommitments,"
emphasizes Nkuna.