The Pretoria High Court has set aside the decision by the minister of trade, industry and competition to award the latest National Lottery licence to Sizekhaya Holdings, JSE-listed Goldrush Holdings said this morning.

“The court set aside the minister’s decision to award the licence on a procedural ground only,” Goldrush said in an announcement to shareholders.

“The court ruled that a ministerial committee, which the minister had appointed to advise on the award, had not been provided for in the request for proposal. The court accepted that the minister acted in good faith,” it said.

Trade Minister Parks Tau awarded the fourth National Lottery and Sports Pools licence to Sizekhaya in May 2025 after a process of evaluating eight applications. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition said the appointment took effect on 1 June 2026. . During the transition from the third to the fourth licence, Ithuba Holdings ran the lottery under a 12-month temporary licence from 1 June 2025, the department said.

The judgement was delivered yesterday in review applications brought by Ithuba Lottery and Ringeta Consortium against the minister, the National Lotteries Commission, Sizekhaya and others, said Goldrush, which has an indirect shareholding in Sizekhaya.

Goldrush said the award “has been referred back to the minister for reconsideration and the minister must disregard the ministerial committee’s report and recommendations in the process of reconsideration”.

“Under the court’s order, the judgement has been suspended for 12 months, while the minister is reconsidering the award ... Games, draws, ticket sales and prize payments are not affected,” it said.

Goldrush said the court “made no adverse findings against Sizekhaya, its shareholders, management or the quality of its bid”, adding: “Sizekhaya remains eligible to be awarded the licence.”

“Sizekhaya is considering the judgement with its legal advisers,” Goldrush said.