A PROBE by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela into the National Lotteries Board will be the first step in ensuring lottery funds are used for poverty alleviation, the Democratic Alliance said

"In November last year the DA requested that the Public Protector investigate the granting of lottery money to politically connected organisations, while millions earmarked for deserving charities went unspent," DA spokesman Wilmot James said.

But Madonsela's spokesman, Kgalalelo Msibi said, the lotteries board investigation had been delayed by financial constraints. Msibi said Madonsela's office was awaiting treasury funding for investigators to help with other complex cases.

Complaints against the board relate to allegations of corruption, nepotism and funding withdrawal.

Last week, lawyers for the lotteries board announced that the board would honour Molteno Language and Literacy Institute's grant of R20.4 million, which it had withdrawn last year.

The Sunday Independent reported that in July, the arts distribution agency sent Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies a memorandum with concerns over a jurisdiction overlap between it and the lotteries board.

Davies granted the board powers to act as an interim distributing agency after the term of office of the previous one ended on July 9.