Former National Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda requested the Point out Safety Company (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of paperwork that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s company secretary at some time stated media studies she said were according to “stolen” facts within an affidavit for your SSA.
The SSA did examine. It observed the data wasn't a make any difference of state protection and the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” for the media to reveal it.
A different board and administration has given that taken in excess of the NLC and To date have taken actions to end corruption with the institution.
A Point out Stability Company (SSA) investigation located which the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “offered sufficient motive” for exposure with the media.
The probe into meant “data safety breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was carried out just after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote to your SSA in December 2018 requesting it to investigate.
Here is
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by presently suspended NLC company secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the safety agency’s “confidential” conclusions and recommendations.
Nevhutanda asked the SSA to investigate the role of NLC staff within the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit determined certain media and stories that she claimed associated these leaks.
During the letter outlining its conclusions, the SSA told the NLC that even though protecting state information and facts was “a legal imperative geared toward protecting the sovereignty and integrity with the state” this only applied to correctly classified data.
Even though it didn't say so right, the SSA conclusions implied which the allegedly leaked facts didn't fall into this class.
Considerably, the SSA created it crystal clear that the necessity to defend point out data “won't prevent any individual from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.
The SSA investigation discovered that the NLC information and facts linked to the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in mother nature, although not labeled concerning the prescripts with the Minimum amount Information and facts Security Requirements (MISS)”.
“The leakage in the pertinent delicate Formal NLC information and facts into the media would not pose a risk to national protection,” the SSA said, including the effect on the breaches was reputational.
The SSA report observed “no evidence of a factual and incriminating mother nature from any on the suspected NLC personnel that can be recognized from the information and facts interrogated”.
It also stated that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities throughout the NLC and at its beneficiaries does give ample motive to get these types of exposed from the media”.
Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda advised MPs all through a session of Parliament’s trade, business and Levels of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” wherein info “stolen” from your NLC was sent into the US, where he claimed it absolutely was remaining bought to fund a smear marketing campaign in opposition to the NLC.
He was repeating related claims he experienced Earlier created in Parliament, which integrated advertisement hominem assaults on GroundUp and this reporter but was very careful not to name both.
“I arrived right here During this August residence past year and noted to honourable associates that specifics of our beneficiaries is stolen and place in a single state in the usa,” he informed MPs.
“We called on the Point out Stability Company to return look into the matter since we're finding reviews that our info is producing dollars for media platforms and journalists,” he explained. “There was speak, not surprisingly from one resource, a person media, that spoke Substantially about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda said (referring to GroundUp), but failed to inform MPs which the SSA investigation were finished Practically a yr before.
Proactive funding was at the heart from the looting of your lottery. It aspect-stepped the traditional grant method. The NLC could by itself detect a undertaking to fund and appoint a non-gain organisation to supervise it.
Following Nevhutanda very first advised Parliament in 2018 that he experienced requested the SSA to investigate the meant breach, the South African Countrywide Editors Discussion board issued a statement declaring that his remarks mirrored “an incredibly harmful attitude in which the media is currently being blamed for that NLC’s inherent troubles”.
“Rather then investigating why tens of millions cannot be accounted for, the NLC has alternatively attempted to Solid question to the integrity with the journalists involved and it has asked the SSA to research their sources.”
Proactive projects built secret
Security flaws recognized from the NLC grant funding process throughout the SSA’s investigation, show up to happen to be utilised as an excuse via the NLC to remove all proactive-funded jobs from its central grants procedure.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding tasks was heightened to ‘magic formula’ and jobs were being removed from the grant funding procedure and preserved manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Details Business office, Executive Manager Lawful so as to safeguard [the] details,” Nene reported in her affidavit.
“There was a great deal of inside dialogue, with plenty of backwards and forwards, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was inside of a senior situation with the NLC at the time, explained to GroundUp. “Ultimately, the choice was taken to get rid of all the proactive tasks in the system and Restrict entry to A few persons”.
Some in that handful of individuals were being implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned with the NLC numerous years in the past, has been implicated in corruption involving lottery cash. He been given R4.3-million from lottery cash allotted to build a library and museum intricate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Music and Arts Expo) which he employed to develop a house in an upmarket gated advancement in Pretoria. The house is among various paid out for with lottery cash that were frozen following the Asset Forfeiture Unit obtained a preservation order in December 2022.
The politically-related Nevhutanda, who was appointed given that the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was close to higher-ups within the ANC Management, former NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main operating officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated in the corruption which overcome the NLC on their check out.
Also implicated are former board users William Huma, who resigned soon after he was confronted with proof of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who's got because died.
Any time a new administration, including the complete board and govt, took over on the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they learned a “chaotic mess” in the documentation referring to proactive funding, Substantially of which was paper-centered. Key documents were lacking. Data files held for safekeeping by doc storage firm Metrofile had been signed out and in no way returned.
The NLC was capable of Recuperate copies of some ตรวจ หวย ผล สลากกินแบ่ง รัฐบาล งวด paperwork from its Mimecast electronic mail archiving system along with the laptops in their assistants and guidance team.
Information experiences
In his one December 2018 letter, dealt with to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has pointed out with grave worry doable facts protection breaches along with the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential info attained due to doing official features within the Fee by NLC personnel. The actions are meant to undermine the integrity from the Fee while disrupting the powerful functions [on the NLC] and causing insurmountable reputational harm to your Fee because the custodian of non-public data entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His ask for with the SSA to analyze was supported within an affidavit by suspended NLC company secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is presently dealing with a disciplinary inquiry soon after she was unsuccessful in authorized action to put aside results of irregular expenditure on her look at.
The objective of her affidavit, Nene stated, was “to record the situations which transpired regarding data security breaches within the Nationwide Lotteries Fee”.
She detailed various information reports which she claimed ended up the outcomes of those “breaches” (see at the conclusion of this post).
Nene reported that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one among its staff, Sello Qhino, experienced “presented her classified NLC Information and persistently inspired her to provide the knowledge to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle on a series of dodgy lottery-funded projects in Kuruman after makes an attempt to lift the issue internally ended up ignored, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an 18 November 2018 short article in the Day-to-day Dispatch regarding the misappropriation of Lottery cash, Nene reported that the NLC determined after which suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an employee while in the NLC’s East London office, who was the spouse along with the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s 3 small children.
Rungqu and Makatse think Rungqu was punished due to the fact Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, With all the NLC paying R470,000 on lawyers to represent it, but was uncovered not guilty and permitted to return to operate.
“The widespread Think about these articles or blog posts is the fact that [they require] classified data concerning proactive funding tasks,” Nene explained in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out of your family residence to go ahead and take warmth off her and his small children. Facing homelessness, he moved into an Place of work in an empty manufacturing unit belonging to an acquaintance.
Both of those Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation approach intended to recognise the harm many people experienced with the fingers of the NLC. Apologies and, occasionally, economical payment are expected.
“Some people today ended up actually affected really negatively by this … This is admittedly distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz advised the Every day Maverick past year.
“I fulfilled a handful of these people. It had been just so heart-wrenching that their total life have been turned upside down,” explained Scholtz.
Among the those she met were being Qhino and Makatse.
Safe System desired for whistleblowers
The SSA uncovered the absence at the time of a proper channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show on the media.
“Failure to have a focused anti-corruption channel will result in staff members presenting these types of scenarios outside of the NLC,” the SSA said 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 emphasis is on making sure that unlawful and irregular perform is sufficiently mitigated from and by guaranteeing an enough channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out devoid of staying intimidated.”
It proposed the NLC set up a “Protected channel” for workers to offer information on any “untoward exercise” that might not stop or discourage employees from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers coverage, according to the Shielded Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is usually a necessity.”
Media stories Nene outlined
A 10 December 2017 report during the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Overall health and Fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked closely with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner in the Limpopo Mirror, to reveal NLC corruption. “The posting experienced elements of information not accessible in the public domain, thereby raising concern on internal Information protection breaches. The allegations while in the media had been independently investigated,” Nene said. “Having said that, personnel liable for divulging categorised data have yet to get discovered”;
A 28 January 2018 write-up released from the Dally Dispatch “citing quite a few allegations within the Limpopo Mirror post printed on 10 December 2017 plus a new allegation regarding a previous personnel with the title of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed for the danger caused into the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 write-up inside the Lowvelder in regards to the misappropriation of NLC funds involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has claimed how, Regardless of receiving R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has not been completed. “The Lowvelder report contained classified facts with regards to NLC coverage, boosting more problems of internal details protection breaches,” Nene reported in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regards to these allegations didn't warrant an unbiased Investigation, nevertheless [it] highlighted the heightened details safety hazards inside 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 confirmed in its Tale that it had been according to leaked NLC documents. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Usage of Data) request for facts with regards to the undertaking, she reported