SOUNDS rather familiar: that a public organisation charged with the task of distributing funds to the poor has disbursed only a fraction of the money to charitable causes.

SOUNDS rather familiar: that a public organisation charged with the task of distributing funds to the poor has disbursed only a fraction of the money to charitable causes.

The culprit this time around is the South African Lottery Board, which has been accused of failing to distribute 72 percent of the R8,5 billion earmarked for the needy, while members of its board draw huge salaries. This is a shame.

Some government departments have drawn severe criticism for similar indiscretions in the past, regularly showing budget surpluses at the end of the fiscal year while neglecting their spending priorities.

We hope the board has some plausible explanation for this mess, failing which its members must resign or be fired to make room for people who know what to do.