Previous Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the State Safety Company (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of documents that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s company secretary at enough time shown media studies she mentioned ended up depending on “stolen” information and facts within an affidavit for that SSA.
The SSA did examine. It observed the knowledge was not a matter of condition security and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” for your media to show it.
A new board and administration has given that taken around the NLC and So far have taken actions to finish corruption in the institution.
A Condition Protection Company (SSA) investigation found that the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “offered sufficient motive” for exposure because of the media.
The probe into meant “details security breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was undertaken soon after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote towards the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to research.
Here is
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at this time suspended NLC enterprise secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the safety company’s “private” conclusions and proposals.
Nevhutanda requested the SSA to research the part of NLC workers while in the alleged leaking of information, and Nene, in her affidavit determined distinct media and studies that she claimed involved these leaks.
From the letter outlining its findings, the SSA instructed the NLC that even though guarding condition information and facts was “a authorized crucial aimed at protecting the sovereignty and integrity of your state” this only applied to appropriately categorized information and facts.
Even though it did not say so straight, the SSA findings implied the allegedly leaked data did not tumble into this classification.
Significantly, the SSA made it apparent that the need to shield condition information and facts “will not avert any particular person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminality”.
The SSA investigation located which the NLC data involved in the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in nature, although not labeled regarding the prescripts of your Minimal Information and facts Stability Standards (Miss out on)”.
“The leakage of the relevant delicate Formal NLC details into the media isn't going to pose a threat to countrywide safety,” the SSA said, adding which the effects of the breaches was reputational.
The SSA report found “no evidence of the factual and incriminating character from any with the suspected NLC personnel that might be discovered from the knowledge and information interrogated”.
It also said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities throughout the NLC and at its beneficiaries does give enough motive to acquire these kinds of exposed while in the media”.
Conspiracy statements
In 2020, Nevhutanda advised MPs in the course of a session of Parliament’s trade, field and Competitors portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” through which facts “stolen” in the NLC was sent into the US, where by he claimed it had been remaining offered to fund a smear marketing campaign versus the NLC.
He was repeating comparable promises he experienced previously built in Parliament, which included advert hominem assaults on GroundUp and this reporter but was cautious not to call either.
“I arrived right here Within this August dwelling previous calendar year and noted to honourable associates that information regarding our beneficiaries is stolen and place in a single point out in the usa,” he informed MPs.
“We referred to as about the Condition Security Company to return look into the matter since we have been getting reviews that our details is making money for media platforms and journalists,” he stated. “There has been speak, naturally from just one supply, a person media, that spoke Substantially about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda mentioned (referring to GroundUp), but didn't notify MPs which the SSA investigation were finished Nearly a year previously.
Proactive funding was at the center on the looting in the lottery. It facet-stepped the conventional grant process. The NLC could by itself determine a undertaking to fund and appoint a non-financial gain organisation to supervise it.
Following Nevhutanda initial advised Parliament in 2018 that he had asked the SSA to investigate the supposed breach, the South African Countrywide Editors Discussion board issued an announcement stating that his remarks reflected “an extremely hazardous Perspective the place the media is currently being blamed for your NLC’s inherent troubles”.
“In lieu of investigating why tens of millions can not be accounted for, the NLC has in its place made an effort to Forged doubt about the integrity with the journalists associated and it has requested the SSA to analyze their sources.”
Proactive jobs created top secret
Security flaws recognized during the NLC grant funding system in the course of the SSA’s investigation, show up to have been used as an excuse with the NLC to get rid of all proactive-funded initiatives from its central grants technique.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding projects was heightened to ‘top secret’ and jobs have been faraway from the grant funding technique and maintained manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Data Workplace, Executive Manager Lawful in an effort to safeguard [the] information,” Nene explained in her affidavit.
“There was a lot of internal discussion, with a great deal of back and forth, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was in a very senior situation at the NLC at the time, informed GroundUp. “Ultimately, the choice was taken to get rid of every one of the proactive tasks through the procedure and Restrict usage of a handful of individuals”.
Some in that handful of men and women have been implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned through the NLC numerous several years ago, has been implicated in corruption involving lottery funds. He received R4.three-million from lottery funds allocated to construct a library and museum advanced in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Tunes and Arts Expo) which he utilised to make a residence in an upmarket gated progress in Pretoria. The property is one of several compensated for with lottery cash that were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Unit obtained a preservation get in December 2022.
The politically-related Nevhutanda, who was appointed as the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near to higher-ups inside the ANC leadership, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief functioning officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated during the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their observe.
Also implicated are former board members William Huma, who resigned soon after he was confronted with evidence of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who may have considering the fact that died.
Any time a new administration, including the total board and govt, took over on the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they uncovered a “chaotic mess” from the documentation regarding proactive funding, Substantially of which was paper-centered. Important files ended up lacking. Files held for safekeeping by doc storage firm Metrofile had been signed out and hardly ever returned.
The NLC was ready to Recuperate copies of some หวย ลาว ย้อน หลัง documents from its Mimecast electronic mail archiving procedure as well as laptops in their assistants and assist personnel.
News experiences
In his one December 2018 letter, tackled to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has mentioned with grave issue doable data safety breaches and the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private info received on account of executing Formal capabilities in the Commission by NLC staff members. The activities are intended to undermine the integrity in the Commission when disrupting the powerful features [with the NLC] and producing insurmountable reputational hurt to your Fee as being the custodian of non-public data entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His request with the SSA to research was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC enterprise secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is now experiencing a disciplinary inquiry right after she was unsuccessful in lawful action to put aside conclusions of irregular expenditure on her look at.
The goal of her affidavit, Nene explained, was “to record the functions which transpired concerning details protection breaches within the Countrywide Lotteries Fee”.
She mentioned different information stories which she claimed were being the results of these “breaches” (see at the end of this text).
Nene claimed that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that considered one of its staff members, Sello Qhino, had “supplied her categorised NLC Information and persistently inspired her to deliver the knowledge to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle on a number of dodgy lottery-funded initiatives in Kuruman just after tries to raise The problem internally were overlooked, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an eighteen November 2018 post during the Each day Dispatch in regards to the misappropriation of Lottery funds, Nene explained which the NLC recognized after which you can suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an worker from the NLC’s East London Business, who was the partner as well as the mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s a few small children.
Rungqu and Makatse believe that Rungqu was punished mainly because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, with the NLC expending R470,000 on attorneys to represent it, but was observed not responsible and allowed to return to operate.
“The common Consider these posts is usually that [they include] labeled information associated with proactive funding initiatives,” Nene reported in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out from the household household to go ahead and take warmth off her and his little ones. Experiencing homelessness, he moved into an Office environment within an empty factory belonging to an acquaintance.
Both of those Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation method meant to recognise the damage many people suffered within the palms from the NLC. Apologies and, in some cases, economical compensation are envisioned.
“Some persons have been really impacted extremely negatively by this … This is admittedly painful,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz explained to the Everyday Maverick very last year.
“I met a handful of these people today. It was just so coronary heart-wrenching that their whole life are actually turned the other way up,” reported Scholtz.
Among the those she achieved ended up Qhino and Makatse.
Risk-free platform desired for whistleblowers
The SSA observed the absence at time of an appropriate channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn to the media.
“Failure to possess a focused anti-corruption channel will end in workers presenting these types of circumstances beyond the NLC,” the SSA said in its results.
“Provided the magnitude of corruption in point out establishments, it stays crucial that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all security prescripts and that its aim is on ensuring that illegal and irregular carry out is sufficiently mitigated versus and by ensuring an sufficient channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward conduct devoid of staying intimidated.”
It proposed the NLC set up a “Secure channel” for employees to deliver information on any “untoward activity” that could not protect against or discourage staff from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers plan, based upon the Guarded Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is often a necessity.”
Media stories Nene shown
A ten December 2017 report inside the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and fitness and Health and fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked closely with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner on the Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The posting experienced things of data not out there in the general public domain, thereby raising issue on inside Data safety breaches. The allegations within the media were being independently investigated,” Nene claimed. “Even so, staff accountable for divulging categorised details have nonetheless for being discovered”;
A 28 January 2018 post released by the Dally Dispatch “citing quite a few allegations within the Limpopo Mirror article printed on 10 December 2017 and also a new allegation concerning a previous personnel via the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed for that menace induced on the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 post in the Lowvelder concerning the misappropriation of NLC funds involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has described how, Regardless of acquiring R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has not been completed. “The Lowvelder posting contained categorized information with regard to NLC policy, elevating further considerations of inside information safety breaches,” Nene claimed in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regard to these allegations did not warrant an independent Investigation, nonetheless [it] highlighted the heightened data protection challenges in the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a couple of dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Primary Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene stated GroundUp had verified in its Tale that it absolutely was based upon leaked NLC documents. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Usage of Details) request for specifics with regards to the task, she reported