Former National 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 business secretary at some time listed media experiences she stated ended up according to “stolen” data in an affidavit to the SSA.
The SSA did look into. It located the knowledge was not a make any difference of point out security and the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” for your media to reveal it.
A different board and administration has since taken more than the NLC and So far have taken measures to finish corruption in the establishment.
A State Protection Company (SSA) investigation identified that the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “furnished enough motive” for exposure with the media.
The probe into meant “data safety 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 investigate.
Here's
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at this time suspended NLC firm secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the safety agency’s “private” results and suggestions.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to investigate the function of NLC team inside the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit identified certain media and experiences that she claimed involved these leaks.
While in the letter outlining its conclusions, the SSA instructed the NLC that though safeguarding point out info was “a authorized critical geared toward preserving the sovereignty and integrity from the condition” this only placed on properly categorised details.
Even though it didn't say so immediately, the SSA results implied the allegedly leaked information did not tumble into this category.
Drastically, the SSA built it clear that the necessity to shield state information “doesn't prevent any person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.
The SSA investigation discovered the NLC info involved in the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in nature, although not classified when it comes to the prescripts with the Minimal Information and facts Stability Standards (Skip)”.
“The leakage of the suitable sensitive official NLC facts towards the media would not pose a risk to nationwide stability,” the SSA explained, introducing that the affect of your breaches was reputational.
The SSA report discovered “no evidence of a factual and incriminating character in opposition to any with the suspected NLC employees that might be identified from the information and info interrogated”.
In addition it mentioned that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities in the NLC and at its beneficiaries does deliver sufficient motive to own this sort of uncovered during the media”.
Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda instructed MPs for the duration of a session of Parliament’s trade, industry and competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” through which information and facts “stolen” from your NLC was despatched to the US, in which he claimed it had been remaining sold to fund a smear campaign in opposition to the NLC.
He was repeating identical promises he experienced Earlier built in Parliament, which included advert hominem assaults on GroundUp and this reporter but was cautious not to call both.
“I came here in this August dwelling previous year and claimed to honourable associates that information about our beneficiaries has long been stolen and place in a single state in the united states,” he advised MPs.
“We termed to the State Security Agency to return investigate the issue due to the fact we have been obtaining studies that our information and facts is making revenue for media platforms and journalists,” he explained. “There has been chat, certainly from one particular resource, a single media, that spoke Significantly about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda claimed (referring to GroundUp), but failed to notify MPs which the SSA investigation were accomplished Nearly a yr previously.
Proactive funding was at the guts of the looting in the lottery. It aspect-stepped the traditional grant process. The NLC could itself detect a task to fund and appoint a non-income organisation to oversee it.
Soon after Nevhutanda first informed Parliament in 2018 that he experienced requested the SSA to investigate the intended breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Forum issued a press release declaring that his remarks reflected “a very perilous Mindset exactly where the media is becoming blamed with the NLC’s inherent difficulties”.
“Rather than investigating why hundreds of thousands can not be accounted for, the NLC has in its place made an effort to Forged doubt on the integrity with the journalists concerned and it has asked the SSA to research their resources.”
Proactive tasks designed top secret
Safety flaws discovered within the NLC grant funding technique during the SSA’s investigation, seem to are already applied being an excuse because of the NLC to get rid of all proactive-funded jobs from its central grants method.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding projects was heightened to ‘magic formula’ and projects were being faraway from the grant funding program and maintained manually underneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Data Business office, Executive Supervisor Legal so that you can safeguard [the] data,” Nene explained in her affidavit.
“There was lots of inside dialogue, with plenty of backwards and forwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was in a senior place for the NLC at some time, told GroundUp. “Ultimately, the decision was taken to get rid of all of the proactive jobs from your program and limit access to A few persons”.
Some in that handful of folks have been implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned from your NLC a number of years in the past, is implicated in corruption involving lottery funds. He gained R4.three-million from lottery funds allotted to construct a library and museum complex in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Audio and Arts Expo) which he used to create a dwelling in an upmarket gated growth in Pretoria. The assets is one of various paid for with lottery funds that were frozen once the Asset Forfeiture Device attained a preservation order in December 2022.
The politically-connected Nevhutanda, who was appointed as the NLC board chairperson by former President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near high-ups inside the ANC leadership, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief working officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated within the corruption which confused the NLC on their own watch.
Also implicated are previous board users William Huma, who resigned just after he was confronted with evidence of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who's got given that died.
When a new administration, such as the whole board and government, took over with the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they discovered a “chaotic mess” inside the documentation concerning proactive funding, Substantially of which was paper-based. Crucial paperwork have been missing. Information held for safekeeping by document storage business Metrofile had been signed out and by no means returned.
The NLC was capable of Recuperate copies of some หวย ออก files from its Mimecast email archiving program and the laptops of their assistants and assist personnel.
Information stories
In his 1 December 2018 letter, tackled to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has observed with grave worry doable information stability breaches and the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private information and facts attained because of executing Formal features within the Fee by NLC workforce. The functions are intended to undermine the integrity of the Fee though disrupting the helpful features [of your NLC] and creating insurmountable reputational harm on the Commission as being the custodian of non-public information entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His ask for for that SSA to analyze was supported within an affidavit by suspended NLC firm secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is currently struggling with a disciplinary inquiry right after she was unsuccessful in authorized action to set aside conclusions of irregular expenditure on her check out.
The objective of her affidavit, Nene explained, was “to report the functions which transpired referring to info stability breaches with the Nationwide Lotteries Commission”.
She mentioned several news stories which she claimed were the effects of those “breaches” (see at the conclusion of this short article).
Nene said that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one among its staff, Sello Qhino, had “provided her labeled NLC Info and persistently encouraged her to deliver the knowledge to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle over a number of dodgy lottery-funded projects in Kuruman right after makes an attempt to raise The problem internally have been overlooked, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an 18 November 2018 write-up inside the Everyday Dispatch with regard to the misappropriation of Lottery cash, Nene explained which the NLC recognized after which suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an staff inside the NLC’s East London office, who was the lover and the mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s 3 little ones.
Rungqu and Makatse believe Rungqu was punished since Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, Together with the NLC paying out R470,000 on legal professionals to characterize it, but was observed not guilty and allowed to return to operate.
“The prevalent Consider these content articles is [they require] labeled data associated with proactive funding assignments,” Nene stated in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out of the family dwelling to take the heat off her and his kids. Experiencing homelessness, he moved into an Business office within an vacant factory belonging to a buddy.
Both of those Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation method intended to recognise the damage a lot of people experienced at the hands of the NLC. Apologies and, in some instances, fiscal payment are predicted.
“Some persons ended up genuinely impacted extremely negatively by this … This is actually distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz advised the Every day Maverick past yr.
“I achieved several these people. It had been just so coronary heart-wrenching that their entire lives have been turned upside down,” claimed Scholtz.
Among Individuals she fulfilled were being Qhino and Makatse.
Harmless platform required for whistleblowers
The SSA identified the absence at time of a suitable channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn on the media.
“Failure to have a devoted anti-corruption channel will lead to workers presenting this sort of circumstances outside of the NLC,” the SSA reported in its results.
“Offered the magnitude of corruption in point out institutions, it continues to be critical that it ensures that the NLC complies with all protection prescripts Which its concentration is on ensuring that illegal and irregular perform is sufficiently mitigated in opposition to and by making sure an suitable channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward conduct without the need of getting intimidated.”
It proposed that the NLC set up a “Safe and sound channel” for workers to provide information on any “untoward activity” that might not reduce or discourage employees from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, based upon the Protected Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, can be a need.”
Media experiences Nene listed
A ten December 2017 report while in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Overall health and Health Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked carefully with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner with the Limpopo Mirror, to reveal NLC corruption. “The article had features of information not available in the public domain, therefore boosting concern on internal Data stability breaches. The allegations in the media had been independently investigated,” Nene explained. “On the other hand, workforce accountable for divulging categorized details have nevertheless to get recognized”;
A 28 January 2018 write-up printed from the Dally Dispatch “citing numerous allegations from the Limpopo Mirror posting released on 10 December 2017 and a new allegation regarding a previous worker via the name of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed for the menace caused towards the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 posting 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 accomplished. “The Lowvelder report contained labeled data with regard to NLC coverage, raising further fears of inside details security breaches,” Nene claimed in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence with regards to these allegations did not warrant an impartial Investigation, nonetheless [it] highlighted the heightened information and facts safety threats inside the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a couple of dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Primary Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene explained GroundUp experienced verified in its Tale that it absolutely was according to leaked NLC paperwork. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Entry to Data) request for particulars with regards to the challenge, she reported
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