Previous Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda requested the Point out Stability Company (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of documents that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s enterprise secretary at the time outlined media studies she explained ended up based on “stolen” information within an affidavit for that SSA.
The SSA did examine. It discovered the data was not a make a difference of point out protection and that the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” for the media to show it.
A whole new board and administration has due to the fact taken more than the NLC and To date have taken steps to end corruption with the establishment.
A Point out Security Agency (SSA) investigation located 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 undertaken after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote towards the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to investigate.
Here's
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at this time suspended NLC corporation secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the safety agency’s “private” results and recommendations.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to investigate the job of NLC personnel within the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit identified precise media and reviews that she claimed included these leaks.
In the letter outlining its results, the SSA instructed the NLC that while shielding point out information was “a legal essential targeted at shielding the sovereignty and integrity of your point out” this only placed on properly labeled data.
Although it did not say so directly, the SSA conclusions implied the allegedly leaked details did not tumble into this class.
Appreciably, the SSA designed it clear that the necessity to defend state information “doesn't reduce any individual from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminal activity”.
The SSA investigation located the NLC info involved in the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in character, but not categorised concerning the prescripts of the Bare minimum Info Security Specifications (Pass up)”.
“The leakage in the suitable delicate official NLC facts for the media would not pose a danger to national security,” the SSA stated, including which the effects from the breaches was reputational.
The SSA report identified “no evidence of the factual and incriminating mother nature against any in the suspected NLC personnel that can be determined from the knowledge and information interrogated”.
Furthermore, it stated that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities throughout the NLC and at its beneficiaries does deliver ample motive to acquire these uncovered inside the media”.
Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda explained to MPs for the duration of a session of Parliament’s trade, field and Levels of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” by which details “stolen” through the NLC was sent on the US, wherever he claimed it had been getting sold to fund a smear campaign in opposition to the NLC.
He was repeating related statements he had Earlier manufactured in Parliament, which provided ad hominem assaults on GroundUp and this reporter but was mindful not to call either.
“I came in this article On this August house final yr and described to honourable users that information about our beneficiaries has become stolen and set in a single point out in the usa,” he told MPs.
“We identified as on the State Safety Agency to come check into the subject because we are getting reviews that our data is creating money for media platforms and journalists,” he mentioned. “There has been communicate, not surprisingly from just one supply, a single media, that spoke much about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda reported (referring to GroundUp), but didn't notify MPs that the SSA investigation had been concluded almost a 12 months previously.
Proactive funding was at the guts of the looting in the lottery. It facet-stepped the normal grant method. The NLC could alone identify a undertaking to fund and appoint a non-income organisation to oversee it.
Following Nevhutanda initial explained to Parliament in 2018 that he experienced asked the SSA to analyze the intended breach, the South African Countrywide Editors Forum issued a press release saying that his remarks mirrored “a particularly harmful Mindset where the media is staying blamed for that NLC’s inherent troubles”.
“As an alternative to investigating why hundreds of thousands can't be accounted for, the NLC has instead tried to Solid question around the integrity of the journalists concerned and has asked the SSA to investigate their sources.”
Proactive assignments built secret
Stability flaws determined while in the NLC grant funding program throughout the SSA’s investigation, surface to are employed being an excuse with the NLC to remove all proactive-funded initiatives from its central grants technique.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding jobs was heightened to ‘key’ and jobs have been faraway from the grant funding procedure and maintained manually under the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Details Office environment, Govt Supervisor Authorized so that you can safeguard [the] information,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit.
“There was plenty of internal discussion, with lots of backwards and forwards, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was inside a senior posture for the NLC at time, told GroundUp. “In the long run, the choice was taken to get rid of the many proactive initiatives from the system and Restrict usage of A few persons”.
Some in that handful of folks ended up implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned within the NLC several many years back, has long been implicated in corruption involving lottery cash. He obtained R4.three-million from lottery resources allocated to construct a library and museum elaborate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Songs and Arts Expo) which he applied to make a house in an upmarket gated progress in Pretoria. The property is one of quite a few paid out for with lottery resources which were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Device obtained a preservation order in December 2022.
The politically-connected Nevhutanda, who was appointed because the NLC board chairperson by former President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was close to higher-ups while in the ANC leadership, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief operating officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated during the corruption which overcome the NLC on their watch.
Also implicated are previous board members William Huma, who resigned following he was confronted with proof of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who's got considering that died.
When a new administration, including the full board and executive, took about in the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they uncovered a “chaotic mess” in the documentation referring to proactive funding, Substantially of which was paper-based. Important documents had been missing. Information held for safekeeping by document storage business Metrofile had been signed out and in no way returned.
The NLC was in the position to Get better copies of some หวย หุ้น paperwork from its Mimecast e mail archiving method plus the laptops in their assistants and aid employees.
News reviews
In his 1 December 2018 letter, addressed to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has mentioned with grave problem feasible details security breaches and the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private information and facts received because of carrying out Formal features in the Fee by NLC personnel. The actions are meant to undermine the integrity in the Fee whilst disrupting the helpful functions [with the NLC] and creating insurmountable reputational damage into the Commission since the custodian of private information entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His request for your SSA to research was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC corporation secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is now facing a disciplinary inquiry soon after she was unsuccessful in authorized motion to set aside results of irregular expenditure on her look at.
The objective of her affidavit, Nene explained, was “to file the gatherings which transpired regarding data safety breaches within the Nationwide Lotteries Fee”.
She shown numerous information reviews which she claimed were being the outcome of such “breaches” (see at the end of this article).
Nene explained that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one of its staff, Sello Qhino, experienced “provided her classified NLC Data and persistently inspired her to provide the information to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle on the series of dodgy lottery-funded assignments in Kuruman just after attempts to raise the issue internally had been dismissed, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an 18 November 2018 write-up while in the Every day Dispatch regarding the misappropriation of Lottery funds, Nene said the NLC recognized after which suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an employee from the NLC’s East London Business office, who was the companion as well as mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s 3 small children.
Rungqu and Makatse imagine Rungqu was punished because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, Together with the NLC expending R470,000 on lawyers to signify it, but was located not guilty and allowed to return to work.
“The frequent factor in these articles or blog posts is the fact [they require] labeled data associated with proactive funding assignments,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out from the family members home to go ahead and take heat off her and his small children. Experiencing homelessness, he moved into an Business office within an empty manufacturing facility belonging to a friend.
Both of those Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation course of action meant to recognise the harm a lot of people experienced at the fingers on the NLC. Apologies and, sometimes, economical payment are envisioned.
“Some people today were being really affected pretty negatively by this … This is really distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz explained to the Each day Maverick previous yr.
“I achieved a handful of these men and women. It was just so coronary heart-wrenching that their entire life have already been turned the other way up,” claimed Scholtz.
Amid those she satisfied were being Qhino and Makatse.
Protected System necessary for whistleblowers
The SSA found the absence at time of a suitable channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show to the media.
“Failure to have a dedicated anti-corruption channel will end in workers presenting this kind of conditions outside of the NLC,” the SSA claimed in its findings.
“Presented the magnitude of corruption in point out institutions, it remains critical that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all safety prescripts Which its concentration is on making sure that unlawful and irregular carry out is sufficiently mitigated versus and by making sure an adequate channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward perform with out being intimidated.”
It suggested which the NLC create a “Risk-free channel” for employees to offer info on any “untoward action” that will not prevent or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, based on the Secured Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, can be a need.”
Media reports Nene shown
A ten December 2017 report during the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Wellness and Exercise Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored intently with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and operator of the Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The short article had elements of data not accessible in the public domain, thus increasing worry on inner Data security breaches. The allegations from the media had been independently investigated,” Nene claimed. “Even so, employees answerable for divulging categorised information have but to generally be identified”;
A 28 January 2018 write-up posted by the Dally Dispatch “citing many allegations through the Limpopo Mirror short article revealed on 10 December 2017 along with a new allegation relating to a previous staff via the title of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed for the risk brought on for the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 report while in the Lowvelder with regards to the misappropriation of NLC resources involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has claimed how, Regardless of getting R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab hasn't been concluded. “The Lowvelder write-up contained classified details with regard to NLC coverage, elevating further problems of inner information safety breaches,” Nene explained in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regard to these allegations did not warrant an independent Investigation, having said that [it] highlighted the heightened data protection pitfalls throughout the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Main Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene stated GroundUp experienced verified in its story that it was depending on leaked NLC documents. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Advertising of Use of Information) ask for for details with regards to the challenge, she said