Former Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda requested the Condition Protection Company (SSA) in December 2018 to analyze the leaking of files that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s business secretary at time shown media stories she reported were being depending on “stolen” details in an affidavit with the SSA.
The SSA did look into. It located the information wasn't a subject of state stability and 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 in excess of the NLC and thus far have taken actions to finish corruption at the institution.
A Condition Protection Company (SSA) investigation uncovered that the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “offered sufficient motive” for exposure because of the media.
The probe into intended “facts stability breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was undertaken soon 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” conclusions and suggestions.
Nevhutanda asked the SSA to research the function of NLC staff from the alleged leaking of information, and Nene, in her affidavit determined specific media and experiences that she claimed associated these leaks.
During the letter outlining its results, the SSA explained to the NLC that although protecting condition facts was “a authorized imperative directed at protecting the sovereignty and integrity in the point out” this only placed on properly classified data.
Even though it did not say so directly, the SSA conclusions implied the allegedly leaked information did not fall into this classification.
Drastically, the SSA manufactured it crystal clear that the need to guard condition data “will not reduce any personal from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminality”.
The SSA investigation discovered the NLC facts associated with the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in mother nature, but not classified with regards to the prescripts from the Minimal Information Protection Criteria (MISS)”.
“The leakage with the pertinent sensitive official NLC data into the media doesn't pose a threat to national safety,” the SSA explained, incorporating the affect with the breaches was reputational.
The SSA report located “no proof of a factual and incriminating mother nature versus any with the suspected NLC staff members which could be determined from the knowledge and info interrogated”.
It also mentioned that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities throughout the NLC and at its beneficiaries does deliver sufficient motive to get this sort of uncovered 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 data “stolen” with the NLC was despatched into the US, exactly where he claimed it was getting marketed to fund a smear campaign in opposition to the NLC.
He was repeating related statements he had Beforehand produced in Parliament, which included advertisement hominem attacks on GroundUp which reporter but was thorough not to name either.
“I arrived here During this August dwelling very last 12 months and noted to honourable users that information regarding our beneficiaries is stolen and set in a single point out in America,” he instructed MPs.
“We known as about the Point out Stability Company to return investigate the matter since we have been receiving experiences that our information is building money for media platforms and journalists,” he mentioned. “There was chat, not surprisingly from just one supply, a single media, that spoke A lot about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda reported (referring to GroundUp), but failed to tell MPs the SSA investigation were accomplished Pretty much a calendar year previously.
Proactive funding was at the guts with the looting in the lottery. It facet-stepped the normal grant approach. The NLC could itself detect a job to fund and appoint a non-revenue organisation to oversee it.
After Nevhutanda initially advised Parliament in 2018 that he experienced requested the SSA to research the intended breach, the South African National Editors Discussion board issued a press release expressing that his remarks mirrored “a very perilous attitude where the media is being blamed for the NLC’s inherent difficulties”.
“As an alternative to investigating why tens of millions can't be accounted for, the NLC has alternatively tried to Solid question around the integrity with the journalists involved and has requested the SSA to analyze their sources.”
Proactive jobs produced mystery
Security flaws determined from the NLC grant funding procedure during the SSA’s investigation, look to are actually employed being an excuse with the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded jobs from its central grants program.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding assignments was heightened to ‘mystery’ and initiatives had been removed from the grant funding program and taken care of manually underneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Facts Business, Executive Manager Legal so as to safeguard [the] info,” Nene explained in her affidavit.
“There was loads of internal discussion, with a lot of backwards and forwards, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a source, who was in a very senior situation within the NLC at enough time, instructed GroundUp. “Ultimately, the decision was taken to eliminate many of the proactive initiatives within the process and limit usage of A few people”.
Some in that handful of folks ended up implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned through the NLC quite a few years back, has actually been implicated in corruption involving lottery cash. He obtained R4.three-million from lottery money allotted to create a library and museum complicated in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Audio and Arts Expo) which he used to create a dwelling within an upmarket gated development in Pretoria. The property is one of various compensated for with lottery cash which were frozen following the Asset Forfeiture Unit obtained a preservation order in December 2022.
The politically-linked Nevhutanda, who was appointed as the NLC board chairperson by former President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was close to large-ups during the ANC leadership, previous NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main working officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated inside the corruption which confused the NLC on their enjoy.
Also implicated are former board customers William Huma, who resigned right after he was confronted with proof of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who may have due to the fact died.
When a new administration, including the whole board and government, took about within the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they found out a “chaotic mess” in the documentation relating to proactive funding, Significantly of which was paper-primarily based. Crucial documents were lacking. Information held for safekeeping by doc storage corporation Metrofile had been signed out and by no means returned.
The NLC was in a position to Get better copies of some ตา ว จ หวย paperwork from its Mimecast e-mail archiving method and also the laptops in their assistants and assist workers.
Information studies
In his one December 2018 letter, tackled to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has noted with grave worry feasible facts safety breaches and the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential information acquired on account of carrying out official features during the Commission by NLC workers. The pursuits are intended to undermine the integrity on the Commission when disrupting the successful capabilities [from the NLC] and resulting in insurmountable reputational harm on the Fee as the custodian of non-public information and facts entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His ask for for your SSA to research was supported within an affidavit by suspended NLC company secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is at present experiencing a disciplinary inquiry after she was unsuccessful in legal action to put aside findings of irregular expenditure on her observe.
The objective of her affidavit, Nene claimed, was “to report the gatherings which transpired regarding facts protection breaches with the Nationwide Lotteries Commission”.
She listed many news experiences which she claimed ended up the outcome of such “breaches” (see at the end of this short article).
Nene reported that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one among its employees, Sello Qhino, had “presented her categorised NLC Info and persistently encouraged her to offer the data to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle with a number of dodgy lottery-funded projects in Kuruman right after makes an attempt to boost The problem internally ended up overlooked, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an 18 November 2018 report from the Each day Dispatch about the misappropriation of Lottery resources, Nene claimed the NLC identified and then suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an personnel within the NLC’s East London office, who was the lover along with the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three small children.
Rungqu and Makatse think Rungqu was punished for the reason that Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, With all the NLC paying out R470,000 on legal professionals to signify it, but was identified not guilty and allowed to return to work.
“The typical 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 in the loved ones house to go ahead and take heat off her and his children. Struggling with homelessness, he moved into an Office environment in an vacant factory belonging to a colleague.
Both equally Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation approach intended to recognise the hurt some people experienced for the palms on the NLC. Apologies and, in some instances, monetary payment are expected.
“Some people today had been really impacted pretty negatively by this … This is absolutely distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz informed the Each day Maverick last year.
“I met several these people today. It absolutely was just so coronary heart-wrenching that their total life are actually turned the other way up,” said Scholtz.
Among Those people she achieved ended up Qhino and Makatse.
Risk-free platform desired for whistleblowers
The SSA observed the absence at time of a correct channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show to the media.
“Failure to possess a devoted anti-corruption channel will bring about workforce presenting this kind of circumstances beyond the NLC,” the SSA claimed in its results.
“Given the magnitude of corruption in condition establishments, it stays important that it ensures that the NLC complies with all stability prescripts and that its target is on guaranteeing that unlawful and irregular perform is sufficiently mitigated in opposition to and by guaranteeing an suitable channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward perform with no staying intimidated.”
It recommended which the NLC establish a “Safe and sound channel” for workers to offer information on any “untoward activity” that would not prevent or discourage employees from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers coverage, dependant on the Shielded Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is often a prerequisite.”
Media reviews Nene listed
A 10 December 2017 report in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and fitness and Fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored intently with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner in the Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The article experienced elements of data not available in the general public area, thus increasing worry on inside Facts protection breaches. The allegations during the media were being independently investigated,” Nene said. “Nevertheless, workers liable for divulging classified info have yet to be discovered”;
A 28 January 2018 report posted through the Dally Dispatch “citing many allegations with the Limpopo Mirror posting released on 10 December 2017 plus a new allegation relating to a former personnel by the title of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed for the risk caused for the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 short article in the Lowvelder regarding the misappropriation of NLC money involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has documented how, Regardless of getting R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been concluded. “The Lowvelder short article contained categorized info when it comes to NLC plan, increasing more concerns of inside details security breaches,” Nene reported in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence with regards to these allegations didn't warrant an impartial Investigation, nonetheless [it] highlighted the heightened information and facts safety challenges throughout the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Principal Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene reported GroundUp had confirmed in its Tale that it absolutely was depending on leaked NLC paperwork. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Access to Details) request for facts about the venture, she mentioned