Previous Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the State Protection Company (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of documents that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s company secretary at the time detailed media stories she reported were based upon “stolen” information and facts within an affidavit for that SSA.
The SSA did examine. It identified the information wasn't a subject of condition security and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” for the media to reveal it.
A whole new board and management has since taken around the NLC and To this point have taken steps to end corruption for the institution.
A State Protection Company (SSA) investigation discovered the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “provided ample motive” for exposure with the media.
The probe into meant “information security breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was carried out following then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote for the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to research.
Here is
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by presently suspended NLC business secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the safety agency’s “private” conclusions and suggestions.
Nevhutanda asked the SSA to analyze the position of NLC workers within the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit recognized specific media and studies that she claimed involved these leaks.
From the letter outlining its findings, the SSA instructed the NLC that whilst shielding point out details was “a authorized imperative geared toward shielding the sovereignty and integrity of the point out” this only placed on correctly categorised information.
Although it didn't say so instantly, the SSA conclusions implied the allegedly leaked data did not fall into this classification.
Significantly, the SSA built it distinct that the need to secure condition information and facts “won't reduce any unique from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminality”.
The SSA investigation found the NLC info involved in the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in character, but not categorised with regards to the prescripts of your Minimum Information and facts Stability Benchmarks (Pass up)”.
“The leakage in the relevant sensitive official NLC data to your media isn't going to pose a risk to countrywide protection,” the SSA stated, incorporating the affect with the breaches was reputational.
The SSA report located “no proof of the factual and incriminating character towards any of your suspected NLC staff members that might be determined from the data and data interrogated”.
In addition it said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities in the NLC and at its beneficiaries does offer enough motive to acquire such exposed in the media”.
Conspiracy statements
In 2020, Nevhutanda told MPs through a session of Parliament’s trade, market and competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” where details “stolen” in the NLC was sent into the US, where he claimed it absolutely was being sold to fund a smear marketing campaign from the NLC.
He was repeating related claims he experienced Earlier created in Parliament, which integrated advert hominem assaults on GroundUp and this reporter but was thorough not to call both.
“I came below In this particular August dwelling final yr and described to honourable users that details about our beneficiaries continues to be stolen and put in one condition in America,” he informed MPs.
“We referred to as within the State Stability Company to come explore the issue due to the fact we are having studies that our info is building dollars for media platforms and journalists,” he mentioned. “There has been communicate, naturally from just one source, one media, that spoke much about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda explained (referring to GroundUp), but didn't explain to MPs which the SSA investigation were concluded Nearly a yr previously.
Proactive funding was at the center of your looting from the lottery. It side-stepped the normal grant method. The NLC could by itself detect a challenge to fund and appoint a non-profit organisation to supervise it.
After Nevhutanda first explained to Parliament in 2018 that he had asked the SSA to analyze the intended breach, the South African National Editors Discussion board issued an announcement stating that his remarks mirrored “a very hazardous attitude wherever the media is becoming blamed for that NLC’s inherent troubles”.
“As an alternative to investigating why millions cannot be accounted for, the NLC has instead attempted to Forged question around the integrity on the journalists included and has requested the SSA to research their resources.”
Proactive jobs built top secret
Protection flaws recognized in the NLC grant funding procedure over the SSA’s investigation, seem to happen to be applied as an excuse by the NLC to get rid of all proactive-funded jobs from its central grants program.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding jobs was heightened to ‘magic formula’ and initiatives were being faraway from the grant funding method and taken care of manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Facts Office, Govt Supervisor Authorized so as to safeguard [the] information and facts,” Nene said in her affidavit.
“There was a lot of interior discussion, with plenty of backwards and forwards, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was in a very senior posture in the NLC at time, explained to GroundUp. “Eventually, the decision was taken to remove the many proactive assignments within the process and Restrict usage of A few persons”.
Some in that handful of men and women ended up implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned through the NLC many many years ago, has long been implicated in corruption involving lottery funds. He acquired R4.three-million from lottery cash allocated to develop a library and museum advanced in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Music and Arts Expo) which he applied to construct a household within an upmarket gated progress in Pretoria. The property is among a number of paid out for with lottery cash which were frozen following the Asset Forfeiture Unit acquired a preservation purchase in December 2022.
The politically-connected Nevhutanda, who was appointed as being the NLC board chairperson by former President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near substantial-ups inside the ANC Management, previous NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief running officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated in the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their enjoy.
Also implicated are previous board users William Huma, who resigned right after he was confronted with evidence of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, that has due to the fact died.
Any time a new administration, such as the full board and government, took about for the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they learned a “chaotic mess” from the documentation associated with proactive funding, Considerably of which was paper-primarily based. Important files had been lacking. Information held for safekeeping by doc storage business Metrofile were signed out and in no way returned.
The NLC was able to Recuperate copies of some ตรวจ หวย ลาว paperwork from its Mimecast e mail archiving procedure and also the laptops of their assistants and help personnel.
News studies
In his 1 December 2018 letter, addressed to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has mentioned with grave concern possible information stability breaches plus the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential info attained due to executing Formal features in the Commission by NLC employees. The functions are intended to undermine the integrity on the Fee although disrupting the helpful functions [on the NLC] and causing insurmountable reputational harm on the Fee given that the custodian of personal details entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His request to the SSA to research was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC firm secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is at this time struggling with a disciplinary inquiry after she was unsuccessful in lawful action to set aside findings of irregular expenditure on her check out.
The goal of her affidavit, Nene explained, was “to document the occasions which transpired concerning facts safety breaches at the Nationwide Lotteries Fee”.
She detailed various news experiences which she claimed have been the results of these “breaches” (see at the conclusion of this short article).
Nene claimed that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that certainly one of its staff, Sello Qhino, experienced “furnished her categorised NLC Information and persistently encouraged her to provide the information to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle on a number of dodgy lottery-funded jobs in Kuruman after tries to lift The problem internally had been ignored, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an eighteen November 2018 short article while in the Everyday Dispatch regarding the misappropriation of Lottery funds, Nene claimed that the NLC discovered then suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an employee while in the NLC’s East London Workplace, who was the lover as well as the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s a few children.
Rungqu and Makatse imagine Rungqu was punished for the reason that Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, Using the NLC shelling out R470,000 on attorneys to characterize it, but was uncovered not responsible and permitted to return to work.
“The typical factor in these posts is the fact that [they involve] categorised facts regarding proactive funding tasks,” Nene said in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out with the household house to go ahead and take heat off her and his little ones. Dealing with homelessness, he moved into an Business in an empty manufacturing facility belonging to a pal.
Equally Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation process intended to recognise the harm a number of people experienced within the hands of the NLC. Apologies and, in some instances, economic compensation are expected.
“Some people had been truly affected very negatively by this … This is really distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz advised the Everyday Maverick last calendar year.
“I satisfied a few these people today. It had been just so coronary heart-wrenching that their entire life have already been turned the other way up,” stated Scholtz.
Between These she fulfilled were being Qhino and Makatse.
Protected platform wanted for whistleblowers
The SSA discovered the absence at time of a suitable channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn on the media.
“Failure to possess a committed anti-corruption channel will end in workforce presenting such instances beyond the NLC,” the SSA reported in its conclusions.
“Supplied the magnitude of corruption in condition institutions, it continues to be critical that it makes sure that the NLC complies with all security prescripts Which its target is on ensuring that illegal and irregular perform is adequately mitigated against and by guaranteeing an sufficient channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out with out staying intimidated.”
It advised the NLC build a “Protected channel” for workers to deliver info on any “untoward activity” that will not avert or discourage workforce from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers plan, according to the Safeguarded Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, can be a prerequisite.”
Media studies Nene shown
A 10 December 2017 report inside the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Wellness and Physical fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored carefully with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner of your Limpopo Mirror, to reveal NLC corruption. “The write-up experienced factors of data not readily available in the public area, thus elevating issue on internal Facts security breaches. The allegations while in the media were being independently investigated,” Nene mentioned. “Having said that, workers to blame for divulging categorised information have however for being recognized”;
A 28 January 2018 report released because of the Dally Dispatch “citing a lot of allegations with the Limpopo Mirror short article revealed on 10 December 2017 and a new allegation relating to a previous employee by the title of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed for that risk prompted to your organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 report within the Lowvelder with regard to the misappropriation of NLC money involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has described how, in spite of obtaining R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been concluded. “The Lowvelder short article contained labeled info when it comes to NLC coverage, boosting additional problems of interior details protection breaches,” Nene reported in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regard to these allegations did not warrant an independent Investigation, nonetheless [it] highlighted the heightened data safety pitfalls inside the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Primary Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene claimed GroundUp had confirmed in its story that it had been depending on leaked NLC documents. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Marketing of Usage of Facts) request for details concerning the project, she claimed