Former Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the State Protection Company (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of paperwork that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s organization secretary at enough time mentioned media reviews she mentioned have been dependant on “stolen” information and facts within an affidavit for that SSA.
The SSA did examine. It discovered the information wasn't a issue of state protection and that the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “enough motive” to the media to show it.
A different board and management has considering the fact that taken above the NLC and Up to now have taken measures to finish corruption on the establishment.
A Point out Protection Company (SSA) investigation identified the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “delivered enough motive” for exposure because of the media.
The probe into intended “information safety breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was undertaken after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote on 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 ask for, and
the security agency’s “confidential” conclusions and recommendations.
Nevhutanda asked the SSA to investigate the function of NLC staff members in the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit recognized particular media and experiences that she claimed concerned these leaks.
While in the letter outlining its findings, the SSA explained to the NLC that while shielding point out information and facts was “a lawful imperative targeted at preserving the sovereignty and integrity of the point out” this only placed on properly categorized details.
Although it didn't say so specifically, the SSA results implied that the allegedly leaked information didn't drop into this category.
Considerably, the SSA made it crystal clear that the need to secure condition information “won't stop any unique from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminal activity”.
The SSA investigation uncovered that the NLC details linked to the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in nature, but not classified concerning the prescripts of the Minimal Data Protection Criteria (Miss out on)”.
“The leakage with the applicable delicate official NLC information and facts towards the media doesn't pose a threat to countrywide stability,” the SSA reported, incorporating the effect from the breaches was reputational.
The SSA report discovered “no proof of a factual and incriminating nature from any on the suspected NLC workers that could be determined from the information and facts interrogated”.
Furthermore, it mentioned that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities inside the NLC and at its beneficiaries does deliver ample motive to own such exposed while in the media”.
Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda explained to MPs in the course of a session of Parliament’s trade, sector and competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” by which details “stolen” through the NLC was sent for the US, in which he claimed it was being bought to fund a smear marketing campaign towards the NLC.
He was repeating comparable promises he had Beforehand designed in Parliament, which incorporated ad hominem attacks on GroundUp which reporter but was watchful not to call either.
“I arrived here With this August home very last year and documented to honourable users that information about our beneficiaries has actually been stolen and set in a single point out in America,” he told MPs.
“We referred to as to the Condition Protection Agency to come back investigate the subject mainly because we have been receiving studies that our details is producing cash for media platforms and journalists,” he said. “There have been chat, naturally from 1 resource, a single media, that spoke A lot about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda reported (referring to GroundUp), but failed to notify MPs that the SSA investigation had been concluded Nearly a 12 months before.
Proactive funding was at the guts from the looting on the lottery. It aspect-stepped the traditional grant process. The NLC could itself detect a task to fund and appoint a non-revenue organisation to oversee it.
Soon after Nevhutanda 1st instructed Parliament in 2018 that he had asked the SSA to analyze the intended breach, the South African Countrywide Editors Forum issued an announcement expressing that his remarks reflected “a very perilous Mindset exactly where the media is becoming blamed for that NLC’s inherent issues”.
“Rather than investigating why millions cannot be accounted for, the NLC has in its place tried to cast doubt over the integrity from the journalists concerned and has questioned the SSA to investigate their sources.”
Proactive tasks manufactured solution
Security flaws recognized while in the NLC grant funding system through the SSA’s investigation, show up to have already been utilised being an justification with the NLC to remove all proactive-funded initiatives from its central grants program.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding projects was heightened to ‘solution’ and projects had been removed from the grant funding technique and managed manually underneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Info Business office, Government Manager Legal in an effort to safeguard [the] data,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.
“There was many inside discussion, with plenty of forwards and backwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a source, who was in a senior posture with the NLC at the time, explained to GroundUp. “In the long run, the choice was taken to remove all the proactive assignments in the technique and Restrict access to a handful of people today”.
Some in that handful of people have been implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned from your NLC several yrs ago, has long been implicated in corruption involving lottery money. He been given R4.3-million from lottery money allotted to build a library and museum intricate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural New music and Arts Expo) which he utilized to create a dwelling within an upmarket gated development in Pretoria. The home is one of many paid out for with lottery cash that were frozen following the Asset Forfeiture Unit obtained 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 to substantial-ups inside the ANC leadership, previous NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main running officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated while in the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their own view.
Also implicated are previous board associates William Huma, who resigned after he was confronted with proof of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, that has since died.
Every time a new administration, such as the whole board and government, took around in the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they learned a “chaotic mess” in the documentation associated with proactive funding, Substantially of which was paper-based. Important documents had been missing. Files held for safekeeping by doc storage company Metrofile were signed out and hardly ever returned.
The NLC was able to Get better copies of some ตรวจ หวย รัฐบาล files from its Mimecast email archiving method along with the laptops in their assistants and aid staff.
News reports
In his one December 2018 letter, dealt with to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has pointed out with grave issue doable information and facts protection breaches plus the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential info attained due to doing official features within the Fee by NLC staff. The activities are intended to undermine the integrity of the Commission though disrupting the powerful capabilities [from the NLC] and resulting in insurmountable reputational harm for the Commission as being the custodian of private info entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His request to the SSA to research was supported within an affidavit by suspended NLC corporation secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is now facing a disciplinary inquiry following she was unsuccessful in legal motion to put aside results of irregular expenditure on her view.
The purpose of her affidavit, Nene said, was “to history the gatherings which transpired associated with details stability breaches with the National Lotteries Fee”.
She outlined many news stories which she claimed had been the effects 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 members, Sello Qhino, experienced “provided her categorized NLC Data and persistently inspired her to offer the knowledge to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle over a number of dodgy lottery-funded initiatives in Kuruman immediately after tries to boost the issue internally had been ignored, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an eighteen November 2018 short article from the Day-to-day Dispatch in regards to the misappropriation of Lottery money, Nene said the NLC identified and then suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an personnel in the NLC’s East London Office environment, who was the companion as well as mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three little ones.
Rungqu and Makatse think Rungqu was punished mainly because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and billed internally, Using the NLC paying R470,000 on attorneys to characterize it, but was uncovered not responsible and allowed to return to work.
“The common Consider these content articles is usually that [they include] labeled information associated with proactive funding jobs,” Nene said in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out in the relatives dwelling to go ahead and take warmth off her and his little ones. Experiencing homelessness, he moved into an office within an vacant manufacturing unit belonging to a friend.
Equally Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation method intended to recognise the harm a number of people experienced in the hands with the NLC. Apologies and, sometimes, monetary payment are anticipated.
“Some people today were being really affected incredibly negatively by this … This is absolutely painful,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz instructed the Daily Maverick final yr.
“I achieved a couple of these folks. It had been just so heart-wrenching that their entire lives are actually turned the other way up,” stated Scholtz.
Between All those she achieved were being Qhino and Makatse.
Secure System desired for whistleblowers
The SSA observed the absence at time of a proper channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show towards the media.
“Failure to possess a devoted anti-corruption channel will bring about staff members presenting these kinds of instances outside of the NLC,” the SSA reported in its findings.
“Supplied the magnitude of corruption in state establishments, it remains critical that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all security prescripts and that its emphasis is on making certain that illegal and irregular carry out is adequately mitigated versus and by making sure an suitable channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward perform without being intimidated.”
It recommended which the NLC set up a “Protected channel” for workers to offer information on any “untoward action” that will not prevent or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, according to the Secured Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is usually a necessity.”
Media stories Nene outlined
A 10 December 2017 report from the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Well being and Health Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored carefully with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and proprietor with the Limpopo Mirror, to reveal NLC corruption. “The short article experienced things of knowledge not offered in the public domain, thus increasing problem on internal Info stability breaches. The allegations from the media have been independently investigated,” Nene mentioned. “Nevertheless, workforce responsible for divulging labeled info have still to become determined”;
A 28 January 2018 article revealed via the Dally Dispatch “citing several allegations with the Limpopo Mirror article printed on 10 December 2017 plus a new allegation regarding a previous personnel because of the title of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed to the risk brought on towards the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 short article while in the Lowvelder with regard to the misappropriation of NLC cash involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has noted how, Despite getting R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab hasn't been accomplished. “The Lowvelder post contained labeled info concerning NLC policy, increasing further more considerations of inside information and facts security breaches,” Nene explained in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regards to these allegations didn't warrant an impartial Investigation, having said that [it] highlighted the heightened information security dangers within the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Most important Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene explained GroundUp had verified in its Tale that it was according to leaked NLC files. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Usage of Data) request for facts in regards to the venture, she reported