Lottery bosses turned to State Stability Agency to investigate leaks

Lottery bosses turned to State Stability Agency to investigate leaks

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Former Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda requested the Condition Protection Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of files that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s corporation secretary at enough time outlined media reviews she reported have been according to “stolen” facts within an affidavit with the SSA.
The SSA did investigate. It identified the information was not a subject of state protection and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” to the media to reveal it.
A different board and administration has due to the fact taken around the NLC and Up to now have taken measures to end corruption for the institution.
A Point out Protection Agency (SSA) investigation located that the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “presented ample motive” for publicity because of the media.

The probe into meant “facts protection breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was undertaken immediately after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote towards the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to investigate.

Here is

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at present suspended NLC corporation secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the security agency’s “private” results and suggestions.
Nevhutanda requested the SSA to investigate the function of NLC employees inside the alleged leaking of information, and Nene, in her affidavit identified distinct media and studies that she claimed concerned these leaks.

While in the letter outlining its findings, the SSA informed the NLC that although guarding point out facts was “a legal critical aimed at protecting the sovereignty and integrity of your state” this only applied to appropriately categorised information.

Although it did not say so immediately, the SSA conclusions implied which the allegedly leaked information and facts didn't fall into this category.

Substantially, the SSA created it crystal clear that the need to shield condition information “isn't going to reduce any personal from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminal activity”.

The SSA investigation uncovered that the NLC data involved with the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in nature, although not labeled in terms of the prescripts with the Bare minimum Details Security Benchmarks (Overlook)”.

“The leakage from the applicable sensitive official NLC information into the media will not pose a danger to national safety,” the SSA mentioned, adding the impact on the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report uncovered “no proof of the factual and incriminating mother nature versus any of the suspected NLC staff that would be determined from the knowledge and info interrogated”.

In addition it said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities within the NLC and at its beneficiaries does provide ample motive to get these types of exposed within the media”.

Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda explained to MPs during a session of Parliament’s trade, marketplace and Levels of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” during which info “stolen” through the NLC was despatched towards the US, the place he claimed it absolutely was getting marketed to fund a smear marketing campaign versus the NLC.

He was repeating related statements he had Earlier built in Parliament, which included ad hominem assaults on GroundUp which reporter but was watchful not to name possibly.

“I arrived listed here In this particular August residence previous year and claimed to honourable associates that details about our beneficiaries has become stolen and place in a single condition in America,” he explained to MPs.

“We called around the State Stability Company to come consider the matter for the reason that we're having reports that our information and facts is generating income for media platforms and journalists,” he reported. “There has been speak, naturally from just one resource, a person media, that spoke A lot about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda explained (referring to GroundUp), but did not tell MPs which the SSA investigation were done Nearly a calendar year before.

Proactive funding was at the heart in the looting with the lottery. It facet-stepped the conventional grant system. The NLC could alone identify a project to fund and appoint a non-revenue organisation to supervise it.

Just after Nevhutanda initially instructed Parliament in 2018 that he had asked the SSA to analyze the supposed breach, the South African National Editors Forum issued an announcement saying that his remarks mirrored “a particularly hazardous attitude where by the media is being blamed for your NLC’s inherent troubles”.

“As opposed to investigating why hundreds of thousands cannot be accounted for, the NLC has alternatively tried to cast question to the integrity of the journalists associated and it has questioned the SSA to research their sources.”

Proactive projects designed secret
Protection flaws determined during the NLC grant funding system in the course of the SSA’s investigation, appear to are already applied being an excuse by 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 jobs was heightened to ‘solution’ and assignments were faraway from the grant funding program and managed manually underneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Data Office, Executive Manager Lawful as a way to safeguard [the] data,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.

“There was many inner discussion, with plenty of back and forth, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was within a senior posture with the NLC at some time, explained to GroundUp. “Ultimately, the decision was taken to remove the many proactive jobs within the system and limit access to a handful of individuals”.

Some in that handful of individuals had been implicated in corruption.

Maselwa, who resigned from your NLC numerous years back, has become implicated in corruption involving lottery money. He received R4.three-million from lottery funds allotted to create a library and museum intricate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Songs and Arts Expo) which he employed to create a property in an upmarket gated advancement in Pretoria. The property is one of a number of compensated for with lottery resources that were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Unit received a preservation buy in December 2022.

The politically-linked Nevhutanda, who was appointed given that the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near to superior-ups from the ANC Management, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main operating officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated inside the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their own check out.

Also implicated are previous board associates William Huma, who resigned right after he was confronted with evidence of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who's got due to the fact died.

Each time 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” while in the documentation concerning proactive funding, Significantly of which was paper-centered. Important documents have been missing. Information held for safekeeping by document storage firm Metrofile had been signed out and never ever returned.

The NLC was in the position to Get well copies of some ผล หวย หุ้น paperwork from its Mimecast e mail archiving system as well as the laptops of their assistants and guidance team.

Information experiences
In his one December 2018 letter, resolved to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has observed with grave worry attainable facts protection breaches along with the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential information attained due to executing Formal functions during the Commission by NLC workforce. The routines are meant to undermine the integrity in the Fee while disrupting the powerful capabilities [from the NLC] and resulting in insurmountable reputational hurt towards the Commission since the custodian of private information entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

His request to the SSA to research was supported within an affidavit by suspended NLC company secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.

Nene is at present experiencing a disciplinary inquiry just after she was unsuccessful in lawful motion to set aside conclusions of irregular expenditure on her check out.

The objective of her affidavit, Nene mentioned, was “to document the events which transpired concerning data security breaches for the National Lotteries Commission”.

She listed a variety of information reviews which she claimed ended up the outcomes of those “breaches” (see at the conclusion of this informative article).

Nene claimed that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one of its staff, Sello Qhino, experienced “presented her categorized NLC Info and persistently inspired her to supply the information to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle with a number of dodgy lottery-funded jobs in Kuruman following attempts to raise The difficulty internally were being overlooked, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an 18 November 2018 write-up within the Everyday Dispatch with regards to the misappropriation of Lottery money, Nene said the NLC identified after which you can suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an worker in the NLC’s East London Office environment, who was the companion as well as mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s 3 children.

Rungqu and Makatse imagine Rungqu was punished because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, Together with the NLC expending R470,000 on lawyers to depict it, but was uncovered not guilty and allowed to return to operate.

“The common factor in these content articles is always that [they require] categorized details concerning proactive funding assignments,” Nene reported in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out with the family dwelling to go ahead and take warmth off her and his kids. Struggling with homelessness, he moved into an Office environment within an vacant manufacturing facility belonging to a friend.

The two Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation process intended to recognise the harm some people experienced on the fingers on the NLC. Apologies and, in some instances, monetary payment are anticipated.

“Some individuals have been actually impacted pretty negatively by this … This is absolutely agonizing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz advised the Each day Maverick very last 12 months.

“I fulfilled a handful of these individuals. It absolutely was just so heart-wrenching that their full lives happen to be turned upside down,” said Scholtz.

Between These she fulfilled were Qhino and Makatse.

Risk-free System desired for whistleblowers
The SSA discovered the absence at time of a suitable channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show for the media.

“Failure to possess a focused anti-corruption channel will cause employees presenting such scenarios outside of the NLC,” the SSA explained in its conclusions.

“Provided the magnitude of corruption in point out establishments, it remains critical that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all stability prescripts and that its concentrate is on making certain that illegal and irregular carry out is adequately mitigated from and by guaranteeing an suitable channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward perform without being intimidated.”

It suggested that the NLC build a “Safe and sound channel” for employees to provide info on any “untoward action” that will not stop or discourage employees from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers coverage, determined by the Guarded Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is actually a requirement.”

Media studies Nene outlined
A 10 December 2017 report in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Wellbeing and Health and fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked carefully with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and operator of the Limpopo Mirror, to expose NLC corruption. “The write-up had things of data not available in the public area, thus boosting worry on inside Facts protection breaches. The allegations from the media ended up independently investigated,” Nene explained. “Even so, staff answerable for divulging classified information and facts have still for being discovered”;
A 28 January 2018 report published because of the Dally Dispatch “citing several allegations within the Limpopo Mirror write-up posted on 10 December 2017 as well as a new allegation concerning a previous employee with the title of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed for that danger caused towards the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 post inside the Lowvelder with regards to the misappropriation of NLC cash involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has described how, Regardless of receiving R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab hasn't been concluded. “The Lowvelder report contained categorized information concerning NLC coverage, raising even further considerations of interior data stability breaches,” Nene explained in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regard to these allegations did not warrant an impartial Investigation, however [it] highlighted the heightened details protection threats within the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Principal Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene explained GroundUp experienced confirmed in its story that it was depending on leaked NLC paperwork. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Usage of Information and facts) ask for for facts with regards to the job, she explained

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