Lottery bosses turned to State Security Agency to research leaks

Lottery bosses turned to State Security Agency to research leaks

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Former Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda asked the Point out Safety Company (SSA) in December 2018 to research the leaking of files that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s organization secretary at some time detailed media reports she claimed were based on “stolen” data within an affidavit for the SSA.
The SSA did examine. It found the information was not a subject of point out stability and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” to the media to reveal it.
A brand new board and management has because taken above the NLC and thus far have taken actions to finish corruption on the establishment.
A State Stability Company (SSA) investigation located the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “provided ample motive” for exposure via the media.

The probe into supposed “facts stability breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was undertaken soon after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote on the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to analyze.

Here's

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by now suspended NLC firm secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the security agency’s “confidential” findings and recommendations.
Nevhutanda asked the SSA to investigate the part of NLC team while in the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit identified precise media and stories that she claimed included these leaks.

Within the letter outlining its findings, the SSA instructed the NLC that although safeguarding state information was “a authorized crucial aimed toward protecting the sovereignty and integrity in the state” this only placed on appropriately categorised information and facts.

Although it did not say so immediately, the SSA conclusions implied that the allegedly leaked information and facts did not tumble into this classification.

Noticeably, the SSA created it crystal clear that the necessity to shield condition information “will not protect against any personal from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.

The SSA investigation discovered that the NLC information involved in the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in nature, but not classified with regard to the prescripts on the Bare minimum Info Stability Criteria (Skip)”.

“The leakage of your pertinent delicate official NLC information and facts for the media won't pose a threat to national safety,” the SSA claimed, introducing that the influence on the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report uncovered “no proof of the factual and incriminating character from any with the suspected NLC workforce that could be discovered from the data and knowledge interrogated”.

In addition it said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities within the NLC and at its beneficiaries does deliver sufficient motive to possess such uncovered within the media”.

Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda informed MPs during a session of Parliament’s trade, marketplace and Opposition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” where details “stolen” with the NLC was despatched to the US, the place he claimed it had been remaining sold to fund a smear campaign against the NLC.

He was repeating comparable claims he had Beforehand built in Parliament, which included advert hominem assaults on GroundUp and this reporter but was careful not to call both.

“I came here in this August dwelling previous yr and claimed to honourable associates that information about our beneficiaries has long been stolen and put in one point out in America,” he advised MPs.

“We called about the Point out Security Agency to come investigate the make any difference since we're finding experiences that our information and facts is generating money for media platforms and journalists,” he stated. “There has been talk, obviously from a single source, a single media, that spoke Considerably about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda claimed (referring to GroundUp), but did not inform MPs which the SSA investigation had been finished Pretty much a 12 months earlier.

Proactive funding was at the center of the looting with the lottery. It facet-stepped the normal grant process. The NLC could itself determine a project to fund and appoint a non-gain organisation to supervise it.

Just after Nevhutanda initially explained to Parliament in 2018 that he experienced asked the SSA to analyze the intended breach, the South African National Editors Discussion board issued an announcement indicating that his remarks reflected “an incredibly unsafe Frame of mind wherever the media is remaining blamed for that NLC’s inherent complications”.

“As opposed to investigating why thousands and thousands can not be accounted for, the NLC has alternatively made an effort to cast question around the integrity with the journalists associated and has asked the SSA to analyze their resources.”

Proactive initiatives manufactured solution
Safety flaws identified within the NLC grant funding procedure over the SSA’s investigation, look to are already utilized as an justification with the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded projects from its central grants method.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding projects was heightened to ‘secret’ and jobs were being faraway from the grant funding program and taken care of manually under the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Information and facts Office, Government Manager Authorized as a way to safeguard [the] information,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.

“There was a great deal of interior discussion, with a great deal of back and forth, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was in a senior placement within the NLC at the time, informed GroundUp. “Ultimately, the decision was taken to remove each of the proactive assignments through the technique and limit access to A few people today”.

Some in that handful of men and women have been implicated in corruption.

Maselwa, who resigned from your NLC numerous many years back, has actually been implicated in corruption involving lottery money. He received R4.3-million from lottery funds allocated to build 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 improvement in Pretoria. The house is among quite a few paid for with lottery funds that were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Unit obtained a preservation purchase in December 2022.

The politically-connected Nevhutanda, who was appointed since the NLC board chairperson by former President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was close to high-ups within the ANC leadership, previous NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief functioning officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated during the corruption which confused the NLC on their view.

Also implicated are previous board associates 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 due to the fact died.

Whenever a new administration, such as the whole board and govt, took more than for the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they found a “chaotic mess” from the documentation referring to proactive funding, Substantially of which was paper-centered. Important documents had been missing. Information held for safekeeping by document storage organization Metrofile had been signed out and in no way returned.

The NLC was capable to Get well copies of some หวย หุ้น ช่อง 9 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 noted with grave concern possible information and facts protection breaches along with the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential info attained because of carrying out Formal functions from the Commission by NLC workforce. 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 info entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

His request for your SSA to research was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC business secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.

Nene is at the moment going through a disciplinary inquiry immediately after she was unsuccessful in authorized action to put aside results of irregular expenditure on her observe.

The purpose of her affidavit, Nene said, was “to history the gatherings which transpired referring to information protection breaches in the Countrywide Lotteries Commission”.

She shown numerous information experiences which she claimed had been the results of these “breaches” (see at the end of this article).

Nene explained that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that amongst its workers, Sello Qhino, had “offered her categorized NLC Details and persistently encouraged her to deliver the information to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle with a number of dodgy lottery-funded assignments in Kuruman following makes an attempt to boost the issue internally have been dismissed, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an 18 November 2018 write-up inside the Day-to-day Dispatch regarding the misappropriation of Lottery cash, Nene said which the NLC discovered then suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an staff inside the NLC’s East London Office environment, who was the lover along with the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three small children.

Rungqu and Makatse imagine Rungqu was punished due to the fact Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and billed internally, With all the NLC paying out R470,000 on attorneys to signify it, but was observed not guilty and permitted to return to work.

“The widespread Consider these article content is [they require] labeled details concerning proactive funding projects,” Nene said in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out of your spouse and children dwelling to go ahead and take heat off her and his kids. Struggling with homelessness, he moved into an Office environment within an empty manufacturing facility belonging to a friend.

Each Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation procedure intended to recognise the damage some individuals endured within the hands in the NLC. Apologies and, in some instances, financial compensation are anticipated.

“Some people today have been definitely afflicted pretty negatively by this … This is absolutely agonizing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz instructed the Daily Maverick past 12 months.

“I satisfied several these folks. It absolutely was just so heart-wrenching that their entire life are turned upside down,” reported Scholtz.

Among the All those she met have been Qhino and Makatse.

Safe platform essential for whistleblowers
The SSA uncovered the absence at the time of a proper channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show towards the media.

“Failure to have a focused anti-corruption channel will bring about employees presenting this kind of instances beyond the NLC,” the SSA claimed in its results.

“Offered the magnitude of corruption in point out institutions, it continues to be important that it ensures that the NLC complies with all protection prescripts and that its concentration is on making certain that unlawful and irregular perform is adequately mitigated from and by ensuring an satisfactory channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward perform with out staying intimidated.”

It recommended that the NLC establish a “Protected channel” for employees to supply information on any “untoward activity” that might not avert or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers coverage, based upon the Secured Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is actually a requirement.”

Media experiences Nene stated
A 10 December 2017 report within the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and Conditioning Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked intently with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner with the Limpopo Mirror, to expose NLC corruption. “The short article experienced factors of data not accessible in the general public area, thus raising concern on inner Facts stability breaches. The allegations within the media have been independently investigated,” Nene explained. “Having said that, employees liable for divulging categorized info have however for being identified”;
A 28 January 2018 article released because of the Dally Dispatch “citing several allegations in the Limpopo Mirror posting released on 10 December 2017 and also a new allegation referring to a previous staff with the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed to the danger brought on on the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 article inside the Lowvelder about the misappropriation of NLC funds involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has noted how, Regardless of getting R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been finished. “The Lowvelder write-up contained classified info when it comes to NLC plan, increasing even more considerations of internal information stability breaches,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof regarding these allegations didn't warrant an independent Investigation, having said that [it] highlighted the heightened data stability hazards throughout the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Most important Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene explained GroundUp experienced verified in its Tale that it absolutely was depending on leaked NLC paperwork. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Marketing of Use of Facts) ask for for aspects concerning the venture, she mentioned

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