Previous National Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the Point out Security Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to research the leaking of paperwork that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s enterprise secretary at some time mentioned media reports she stated had been based upon “stolen” facts in an affidavit for the SSA.
The SSA did look into. It observed the knowledge wasn't a subject of state protection and that the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” for the media to reveal it.
A brand new board and administration has given that taken around the NLC and So far have taken actions to finish corruption at the institution.
A State Safety Agency (SSA) investigation observed which the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “provided ample motive” for exposure from the media.
The probe into supposed “details safety breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was carried out just after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote into the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to analyze.
Here is
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at present suspended NLC business secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the security company’s “confidential” conclusions and suggestions.
Nevhutanda asked the SSA to research the role of NLC staff members within the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit identified distinct media and reports that she claimed concerned these leaks.
From the letter outlining its conclusions, the SSA informed the NLC that even though protecting state details was “a legal crucial directed at guarding the sovereignty and integrity from the point out” this only placed on appropriately classified information and facts.
Even though it didn't say so right, the SSA results implied the allegedly leaked information and facts didn't drop into this class.
Drastically, the SSA designed it distinct that the need to defend point out details “will not avert any particular person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminal activity”.
The SSA investigation uncovered that the NLC data linked to the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in nature, but not categorized concerning the prescripts of the Minimal Data Protection Criteria (Miss out on)”.
“The leakage with the suitable sensitive official NLC information to the media would not pose a menace to national stability,” the SSA claimed, including which the affect from the breaches was reputational.
The SSA report uncovered “no evidence of the factual and incriminating nature in opposition to any of the suspected NLC personnel that may be determined from the data and information interrogated”.
In addition it mentioned that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities within the NLC and at its beneficiaries does supply sufficient motive to acquire these types of uncovered during the media”.
Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda explained to MPs during a session of Parliament’s trade, industry and Competitors portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” by which information “stolen” within the NLC was sent towards the US, where by he claimed it had been being marketed to fund a smear marketing campaign in opposition to the NLC.
He was repeating comparable statements he experienced previously designed in Parliament, which integrated advertisement hominem assaults on GroundUp which reporter but was careful not to name both.
“I came below in this August residence previous 12 months and claimed to honourable users that information about our beneficiaries continues to be stolen and put in a single point out in the united states,” he advised MPs.
“We named about the State Security Company to come look into the make any difference for the reason that we're getting experiences that our data is generating dollars for media platforms and journalists,” he mentioned. “There have been speak, certainly from 1 supply, a person media, that spoke Significantly about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda explained (referring to GroundUp), but didn't convey to MPs which the SSA investigation were completed Nearly a yr earlier.
Proactive funding was at the heart from the looting from the lottery. It side-stepped the traditional grant system. The NLC could alone discover a task to fund and appoint a non-earnings organisation to oversee it.
Just after Nevhutanda initially advised Parliament in 2018 that he experienced requested the SSA to analyze the intended breach, the South African Countrywide Editors Forum issued an announcement saying that his remarks reflected “an extremely hazardous attitude in which the media is remaining blamed for your NLC’s inherent troubles”.
“Rather than investigating why hundreds of thousands can't be accounted for, the NLC has alternatively attempted to Solid doubt within the integrity from the journalists concerned and has requested the SSA to analyze their resources.”
Proactive jobs produced key
Safety flaws determined while in the NLC grant funding process in the SSA’s investigation, surface to have been used being an excuse through the NLC to remove all proactive-funded jobs from its central grants process.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding jobs was heightened to ‘secret’ and jobs had been faraway from the grant funding method and managed manually under the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Details Office, Govt Supervisor Authorized in an effort to safeguard [the] data,” Nene stated in her affidavit.
“There was a great deal of inner discussion, with numerous forwards and backwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was in a very senior posture at the NLC at the time, told GroundUp. “Eventually, the choice was taken to get rid of the many proactive initiatives with the system and Restrict use of a handful of people today”.
Some in that handful of men and women were being implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned from your NLC quite a few several years back, continues to be implicated in corruption involving lottery cash. He been given R4.three-million from lottery cash allotted to make a library and museum complicated in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Audio and Arts Expo) which he used to create a property in an upmarket gated growth in Pretoria. The house is one of a number of paid out for with lottery money which were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Device attained a preservation get in December 2022.
The politically-linked Nevhutanda, who was appointed since the NLC board chairperson by former President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was close to high-ups in the ANC leadership, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main working officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated from the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their observe.
Also implicated are former board customers William Huma, who resigned after he was confronted with evidence of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who has given that died.
Each time a new administration, including the complete board and executive, took more than in the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they found a “chaotic mess” in the documentation concerning proactive funding, A great deal of which was paper-dependent. Crucial files ended up missing. Documents held for safekeeping by doc storage firm Metrofile had been signed out and under no circumstances returned.
The NLC was capable of Get better copies of some ตรวจ รางวัล documents from its Mimecast e mail archiving method and the laptops in their assistants and assistance team.
News experiences
In his 1 December 2018 letter, dealt with to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has mentioned with grave worry feasible information and facts security breaches plus the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private info acquired due to performing Formal capabilities in the Commission by NLC workers. The routines are intended to undermine the integrity in the Commission while disrupting the efficient capabilities [of your NLC] and resulting in insurmountable reputational damage for the Fee as being the custodian of non-public information entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His ask for for your SSA to analyze was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC enterprise secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is at this time dealing with a disciplinary inquiry immediately after she was unsuccessful in legal action to put aside conclusions of irregular expenditure on her view.
The objective of her affidavit, Nene reported, was “to record the functions which transpired concerning information security breaches in the National Lotteries Commission”.
She outlined different news reports which she claimed were the outcomes of such “breaches” (see at the conclusion of this information).
Nene reported that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that amongst its staff members, Sello Qhino, had “provided her labeled NLC Details and persistently inspired her to provide the data to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle on a series of dodgy lottery-funded jobs in Kuruman right after tries to lift the issue internally have been disregarded, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an eighteen November 2018 post while in the Day by day Dispatch concerning the misappropriation of Lottery money, Nene explained the NLC determined and afterwards suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an worker during the NLC’s East London Business office, who was the companion plus the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three little ones.
Rungqu and Makatse believe Rungqu was punished due to the fact Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and billed internally, While using the NLC investing R470,000 on lawyers to symbolize it, but was located not responsible and allowed to return to work.
“The typical factor in these posts is the fact that [they involve] classified information and facts concerning proactive funding initiatives,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out from the family household to take the warmth off her and his kids. Struggling with homelessness, he moved into an Business office within an empty manufacturing facility belonging to an acquaintance.
The two Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation process intended to recognise the damage lots of people suffered on the palms with the NLC. Apologies and, occasionally, financial payment are envisioned.
“Some individuals were really afflicted very negatively by this … This is really distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz instructed the Day-to-day Maverick final year.
“I fulfilled a number of these people. It absolutely was just so heart-wrenching that their full lives are actually turned the wrong way up,” reported Scholtz.
Amongst Those people she satisfied ended up Qhino and Makatse.
Safe platform wanted for whistleblowers
The SSA found the absence at time of a correct channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn to your media.
“Failure to possess a committed anti-corruption channel will bring about employees presenting this kind of circumstances outside of the NLC,” the SSA said in its conclusions.
“Specified the magnitude of corruption in point out institutions, it remains crucial that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all protection prescripts and that its aim is on guaranteeing that illegal and irregular carry out is adequately mitigated from and by making certain an adequate channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out without staying intimidated.”
It suggested the NLC build a “Protected channel” for workers to deliver info on any “untoward exercise” that could not avert or discourage personnel from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, based on the Shielded Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is really a need.”
Media studies Nene outlined
A ten December 2017 report while in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and Conditioning Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored closely with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner on the Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The article had components of information not obtainable in the public area, therefore elevating concern on interior Information and facts protection breaches. The allegations from the media have been independently investigated,” Nene mentioned. “Nevertheless, workforce to blame for divulging classified facts have but to generally be recognized”;
A 28 January 2018 short article published with the Dally Dispatch “citing quite a few allegations within the Limpopo Mirror write-up printed on 10 December 2017 along with a new allegation associated with a former worker from the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed with the threat induced to the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 post inside the Lowvelder about the misappropriation of NLC funds involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has documented how, Regardless of getting R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab hasn't been accomplished. “The Lowvelder article contained categorized information and facts regarding NLC policy, boosting even further fears of internal info security breaches,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regards to these allegations didn't warrant an unbiased Investigation, nevertheless [it] highlighted the heightened facts protection threats throughout the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a few dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Principal Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene mentioned GroundUp had verified in its story that it was according to leaked NLC files. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Access to Information and facts) request for specifics regarding the job, she claimed