Previous Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the Point out Security Company (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of documents that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s firm secretary at enough time stated media experiences she said were depending on “stolen” details in an affidavit with the SSA.
The SSA did examine. It identified the information wasn't a make a difference of point out safety and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” with the media to reveal it.
A brand new board and management has because taken around the NLC and So far have taken actions to finish corruption within the institution.
A State Safety Agency (SSA) investigation located which the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “delivered enough motive” for publicity via the media.
The probe into meant “information stability breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was carried out soon after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote on the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to research.
Here is
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by currently suspended NLC enterprise secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the safety agency’s “private” results and recommendations.
Nevhutanda requested the SSA to investigate the purpose of NLC workers in the alleged leaking of knowledge, and Nene, in her affidavit discovered certain media and stories that she claimed involved these leaks.
Inside the letter outlining its conclusions, the SSA told the NLC that although preserving condition information and facts was “a legal vital aimed at safeguarding the sovereignty and integrity in the state” this only applied to appropriately labeled information.
Even though it did not say so immediately, the SSA findings implied the allegedly leaked facts did not slide into this group.
Appreciably, the SSA produced it very clear that the necessity to guard point out information “would not stop any specific from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminal activity”.
The SSA investigation located which the NLC info involved with the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in nature, although not classified regarding the prescripts from the Minimum Information and facts Security Requirements (Pass up)”.
“The leakage of your suitable delicate official NLC details towards the media does not pose a danger to nationwide protection,” the SSA said, incorporating which the impression on the breaches was reputational.
The SSA report located “no proof of a factual and incriminating mother nature in opposition to any on the suspected NLC staff members that may be identified from the information and data interrogated”.
It also stated that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities within the NLC and at its beneficiaries does give ample motive to obtain these uncovered inside the media”.
Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda informed MPs throughout a session of Parliament’s trade, marketplace and Competitiveness portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” in which information and facts “stolen” from your NLC was sent on the US, where by he claimed it was becoming marketed to fund a smear marketing campaign towards the NLC.
He was repeating identical promises he experienced Beforehand created in Parliament, which provided advertisement hominem attacks on GroundUp which reporter but was careful not to call either.
“I arrived in this article in this August house past calendar year and noted to honourable users that information regarding our beneficiaries is stolen and put in one condition in America,” he advised MPs.
“We referred to as over the State Stability Company to come check into the make a difference for the reason that we're receiving reviews that our details is creating revenue for media platforms and journalists,” he explained. “There was communicate, naturally from a person source, one media, that spoke A lot about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda stated (referring to GroundUp), but didn't inform MPs which the SSA investigation were finished Virtually a year before.
Proactive funding was at the heart of your looting with the lottery. It facet-stepped the traditional grant method. The NLC could alone recognize a job to fund and appoint a non-revenue organisation to oversee it.
Just after Nevhutanda very first explained to Parliament in 2018 that he had asked the SSA to research the intended breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Discussion board issued an announcement saying that his remarks mirrored “a very unsafe Mind-set the place the media is getting blamed for your NLC’s inherent problems”.
“As an alternative to investigating why thousands and thousands cannot be accounted for, the NLC has rather made an effort to Solid doubt on the integrity with the journalists concerned and it has requested the SSA to research their resources.”
Proactive initiatives built secret
Security flaws discovered in the NLC grant funding system throughout the SSA’s investigation, surface to happen to be applied as an justification by the NLC to remove all proactive-funded projects from its central grants system.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding projects was heightened to ‘key’ and projects have been faraway from the grant funding program and taken care of manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Details Workplace, Government Supervisor Legal to be able to safeguard [the] facts,” Nene explained in her affidavit.
“There was lots of inside dialogue, with a lot of back and forth, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a source, who was in a very senior place with the NLC at time, advised GroundUp. “Ultimately, the decision was taken to eliminate all the proactive tasks through the technique and limit usage of A few folks”.
Some in that handful of people ended up implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned through the NLC numerous several years ago, has actually been implicated in corruption involving lottery money. He received R4.3-million from lottery resources allocated to make a library and museum elaborate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Audio and Arts Expo) which he used to create a household within an upmarket gated progress in Pretoria. The assets is one of numerous paid for with lottery funds which were frozen following the Asset Forfeiture Unit attained a preservation buy in December 2022.
The politically-linked Nevhutanda, who was appointed because the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near to large-ups in the ANC leadership, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief working officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated in the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their enjoy.
Also implicated are previous board members William Huma, who resigned just after he was confronted with proof of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who has considering the fact that died.
Whenever a new administration, including the complete board and executive, took above with the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they found out a “chaotic mess” during the documentation concerning proactive funding, much of which was paper-based. Vital paperwork have been missing. Data files held for safekeeping by document storage business Metrofile were signed out and never ever returned.
The NLC was capable to Get better copies of some ตรวจ ล้อ ต เต อ รี่ files from its Mimecast e mail archiving technique as well as the laptops in their assistants and guidance personnel.
Information stories
In his 1 December 2018 letter, resolved to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has mentioned with grave worry achievable information safety breaches as well as unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential data obtained because of performing official functions while in the Fee by NLC employees. The actions are intended to undermine the integrity from the Commission whilst disrupting the efficient functions [from the NLC] and creating insurmountable reputational hurt into the Commission because the custodian of personal information and facts entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His ask for for your SSA to analyze was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC enterprise secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is at this time experiencing a disciplinary inquiry soon after she was unsuccessful in lawful action to set aside conclusions of irregular expenditure on her look at.
The purpose of her affidavit, Nene claimed, was “to document the situations which transpired associated with information protection breaches in the Nationwide Lotteries Fee”.
She listed different information stories which she claimed were being the effects of such “breaches” (see at the conclusion of this article).
Nene said that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that certainly one of its workers, Sello Qhino, experienced “furnished her categorized NLC Information and persistently inspired her to provide the data to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle on the number of dodgy lottery-funded tasks in Kuruman after makes an attempt to lift The problem internally ended up ignored, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an 18 November 2018 article while in the Day by day Dispatch with regards to the misappropriation of Lottery cash, Nene reported the NLC determined and after that suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an worker during the NLC’s East London Place of work, who was the associate as well as the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s a few youngsters.
Rungqu and Makatse consider Rungqu was punished due to the fact Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and billed internally, Using the NLC shelling out R470,000 on legal professionals to stand for it, but was discovered not guilty and allowed to return to operate.
“The typical factor in these content articles is always that [they entail] categorized details referring to proactive funding tasks,” Nene said in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out of the spouse and children household to take the warmth off her and his youngsters. Facing homelessness, he moved into an office within an empty manufacturing unit belonging to a pal.
Both Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation course of action intended to recognise the damage some individuals endured with the fingers in the NLC. Apologies and, in some instances, monetary payment are expected.
“Some people today have been truly afflicted extremely negatively by this … This is really unpleasant,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz explained to the Every day Maverick previous 12 months.
“I achieved a couple of these folks. It had been just so heart-wrenching that their complete lives are turned the other way up,” claimed Scholtz.
Between People she satisfied had been Qhino and Makatse.
Protected platform desired for whistleblowers
The SSA observed the absence at time of an appropriate channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show towards the media.
“Failure to possess a dedicated anti-corruption channel will end in workers presenting these types of circumstances beyond the NLC,” the SSA said in its results.
“Supplied the magnitude of corruption in point out establishments, it remains vital that it ensures that the NLC complies with all security prescripts Which its target is on making sure that illegal and irregular carry out is adequately mitigated against and by making certain an suitable channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward conduct without getting intimidated.”
It encouraged that the NLC create a “Harmless channel” for workers to offer information on any “untoward activity” that might not avert or discourage staff from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers plan, dependant on the Safeguarded Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is actually a requirement.”
Media studies Nene detailed
A ten December 2017 report inside the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and fitness and Health Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored intently with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and operator from the Limpopo Mirror, to reveal NLC corruption. “The post had aspects of knowledge not accessible in the public domain, thereby elevating problem on inner Data stability breaches. The allegations during the media have been independently investigated,” Nene said. “Nevertheless, staff accountable for divulging labeled information and facts have however to be determined”;
A 28 January 2018 write-up released through the Dally Dispatch “citing quite a few allegations within the Limpopo Mirror short article printed on 10 December 2017 plus a new allegation associated with a former staff with the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed for your danger brought on for the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 write-up inside the Lowvelder with regards to the misappropriation of NLC cash involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has documented how, in spite of acquiring R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab hasn't been done. “The Lowvelder post contained classified information and facts concerning NLC plan, elevating additional issues of interior details stability breaches,” Nene stated in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence with regards to these allegations did not warrant an unbiased Investigation, on the other hand [it] highlighted the heightened details stability pitfalls throughout the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Main Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene stated GroundUp had confirmed in its story that it had been according to leaked NLC documents. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Advertising of Access to Data) ask for for particulars about the challenge, she claimed