Former National Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda asked the State Safety Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of documents that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s corporation secretary at enough time mentioned media experiences she said were depending on “stolen” details in an affidavit with the SSA.
The SSA did examine. It identified the data was not a make a difference of point out safety and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” with the media to expose it.
A completely new board and management has since taken in excess of the NLC and thus far have taken measures to end corruption for the establishment.
A State Security Agency (SSA) investigation located the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “delivered enough motive” for publicity by the media.
The probe into supposed “info security breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was carried out immediately after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote to your SSA in December 2018 requesting it to research.
Here is
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by presently suspended NLC company secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the security company’s “confidential” results and recommendations.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to investigate the job of NLC personnel within the alleged leaking of knowledge, and Nene, in her affidavit identified distinct media and experiences 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 authorized vital directed at protecting the sovereignty and integrity of your condition” this only placed on correctly categorized data.
Although it didn't say so instantly, the SSA findings implied the allegedly leaked info didn't fall into this class.
Considerably, the SSA created it obvious that the necessity to defend point out information and facts “does not prevent any unique from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.
The SSA investigation uncovered the NLC details involved in the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in character, although not categorised regarding the prescripts of your Minimum Info Safety Expectations (Miss out on)”.
“The leakage of your applicable delicate official NLC details for the media will not pose a risk to countrywide protection,” the SSA explained, adding which the affect from the breaches was reputational.
The SSA report found “no evidence of the factual and incriminating character versus any on the suspected NLC workers which could be recognized from the knowledge and data interrogated”.
What's more, it mentioned that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities within the NLC and at its beneficiaries does give enough motive to obtain this kind of exposed while in the media”.
Conspiracy statements
In 2020, Nevhutanda instructed MPs all through a session of Parliament’s trade, industry and Competitors portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” during which details “stolen” in the NLC was despatched to your US, the place he claimed it was remaining offered to fund a smear marketing campaign in opposition to the NLC.
He was repeating comparable promises he had Formerly made in Parliament, which provided advert hominem attacks on GroundUp and this reporter but was very careful not to name either.
“I came below in this August property very last calendar year and reported to honourable associates that details about our beneficiaries has actually been stolen and place in one condition in America,” he informed MPs.
“We referred to as within the State Stability Company to come consider the matter because we've been acquiring reports that our information and facts is creating cash for media platforms and journalists,” he reported. “There's been talk, naturally from one supply, just one media, that spoke Significantly about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda claimed (referring to GroundUp), but didn't tell MPs that the SSA investigation had been accomplished Just about a calendar year before.
Proactive funding was at the guts of your looting of the lottery. It facet-stepped the traditional grant system. The NLC could alone establish a job to fund and appoint a non-financial gain organisation to oversee it.
Following Nevhutanda initial explained to Parliament in 2018 that he experienced asked the SSA to research the supposed breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Discussion board issued an announcement saying that his remarks reflected “an extremely risky Mindset wherever the media is becoming blamed for that NLC’s inherent problems”.
“In lieu of investigating why millions cannot be accounted for, the NLC has as an alternative attempted to Solid doubt about the integrity with the journalists included and it has requested the SSA to investigate their resources.”
Proactive jobs built secret
Stability flaws determined while in the NLC grant funding program through the SSA’s investigation, appear to are actually applied as an excuse from the NLC to get rid of all proactive-funded tasks from its central grants process.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding assignments was heightened to ‘secret’ and assignments were being removed from the grant funding procedure and taken care of manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Information Office, Executive Supervisor Lawful so as to safeguard [the] info,” Nene explained in her affidavit.
“There was many interior discussion, with a great deal of back and forth, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was in the senior position on the NLC at the time, informed GroundUp. “In the long run, the choice was taken to get rid of every one of the proactive jobs through the method and limit use of A few people today”.
Some in that handful of men and women have been implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned in the NLC quite a few a long time ago, is implicated in corruption involving lottery cash. He obtained R4.three-million from lottery funds allocated to make a library and museum complicated in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Songs and Arts Expo) which he utilized to make a residence within an upmarket gated development in Pretoria. The residence is among numerous paid out for with lottery resources that were frozen following the Asset Forfeiture Device acquired a preservation order in December 2022.
The politically-connected Nevhutanda, who was appointed as the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near superior-ups within the ANC leadership, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief working officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated during the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their enjoy.
Also implicated are previous board members William Huma, who resigned soon after he was confronted with proof of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who's got because died.
Whenever a new administration, including the whole board and executive, took over in the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they found a “chaotic mess” in the documentation relating to proactive funding, much of which was paper-centered. Essential documents were being missing. Data files held for safekeeping by document storage enterprise Metrofile had been signed out and hardly ever returned.
The NLC was capable to Get better copies of some ตรวจ หวย รัฐบาล documents from its Mimecast email archiving process along with the laptops of their assistants and aid personnel.
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In his one December 2018 letter, tackled to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has pointed out with grave problem doable details stability breaches and also the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential facts attained as a result of doing Formal features from the Fee by NLC workforce. The activities are meant to undermine the integrity of the Fee when disrupting the helpful features [on the NLC] and triggering insurmountable reputational harm to the Fee since the custodian of personal information and facts entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His request with the SSA to research was supported within an affidavit by suspended NLC organization secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is currently experiencing a disciplinary inquiry right after she was unsuccessful in lawful motion to set aside findings of irregular expenditure on her look at.
The goal of her affidavit, Nene stated, was “to file the situations which transpired relating to data protection breaches for the Countrywide Lotteries Fee”.
She stated many information studies which she claimed have been the outcome of those “breaches” (see at the end of this short article).
Nene stated that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one of its workforce, Sello Qhino, had “provided her labeled NLC Details and persistently inspired her to supply the data to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle on a series of dodgy lottery-funded jobs in Kuruman soon after tries to raise 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 recognized then suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an worker inside the NLC’s East London Business office, who was the associate as well as the mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s a few young children.
Rungqu and Makatse feel Rungqu was punished simply because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and billed internally, With all the NLC spending R470,000 on attorneys to signify it, but was observed not responsible and allowed to return to work.
“The popular factor in these articles or blog posts is that [they include] categorized facts relating to proactive funding tasks,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out on the relatives dwelling to go ahead and take heat off her and his youngsters. Going through homelessness, he moved into an Place of work in an vacant factory belonging to a friend.
Both of those Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation method meant to recognise the damage some individuals endured in the palms from the NLC. Apologies and, sometimes, monetary compensation are envisioned.
“Some people ended up really impacted quite negatively by this … This is admittedly painful,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz informed the Everyday Maverick very last 12 months.
“I fulfilled a handful of these persons. It absolutely was just so heart-wrenching that their entire lives have been turned the other way up,” claimed Scholtz.
Amid Individuals she met were being Qhino and Makatse.
Risk-free platform wanted for whistleblowers
The SSA located the absence at the time of a suitable channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show for the media.
“Failure to possess a dedicated anti-corruption channel will cause employees presenting these kinds of cases outside of the NLC,” the SSA explained in its results.
“Specified the magnitude of corruption in state institutions, it remains essential that it makes sure that the NLC complies with all safety prescripts and that its concentrate is on making certain that illegal and irregular perform is sufficiently mitigated from and by guaranteeing an ample channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward conduct with out being intimidated.”
It proposed the NLC establish a “Harmless channel” for employees to deliver information on any “untoward exercise” that might not prevent or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, based upon the Protected Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is usually a requirement.”
Media studies Nene stated
A ten December 2017 report in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Overall health and Exercise Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored carefully with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and proprietor on the Limpopo Mirror, to reveal NLC corruption. “The write-up had elements of information not available in the public domain, therefore elevating problem on inner Details security breaches. The allegations in the media ended up independently investigated,” Nene claimed. “Even so, workers responsible for divulging labeled information have nonetheless to get discovered”;
A 28 January 2018 report published through the Dally Dispatch “citing various allegations with the Limpopo Mirror article released on ten December 2017 as well as a new allegation regarding a previous personnel via the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed with the risk induced towards the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 short article in the Lowvelder with regard to the misappropriation of NLC cash involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has claimed how, Regardless of receiving R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has not been finished. “The Lowvelder posting contained categorized info concerning NLC policy, increasing further worries of interior info 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 threats in the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Key Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene mentioned GroundUp had confirmed in its Tale that it had been determined by leaked NLC documents. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Marketing of Access to Information and facts) request for particulars concerning the challenge, she explained