Previous National Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the Point out Protection Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to analyze the leaking of paperwork that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s firm secretary at some time listed media experiences she explained had been determined by “stolen” information and facts within an affidavit for your SSA.
The SSA did look into. It found the knowledge was not a issue of state safety and the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “enough motive” for the media to show it.
A brand new board and management has considering that taken above the NLC and To this point have taken steps to finish corruption with the institution.
A Point out Security Agency (SSA) investigation discovered which the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “furnished ample motive” for publicity with the media.
The probe into meant “details stability breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was undertaken immediately after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote towards the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to research.
Here is
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at this time suspended NLC company secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the security company’s “private” results and recommendations.
Nevhutanda asked the SSA to analyze the job of NLC staff members during the alleged leaking of knowledge, and Nene, in her affidavit identified unique media and stories that she claimed involved these leaks.
In the letter outlining its conclusions, the SSA informed the NLC that whilst preserving point out facts was “a authorized vital geared toward shielding the sovereignty and integrity from the point out” this only applied to properly classified information and facts.
Even though it didn't say so straight, the SSA findings implied which the allegedly leaked information and facts didn't tumble into this classification.
Considerably, the SSA made it clear that the necessity to secure condition facts “won't avert any person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminality”.
The SSA investigation identified that the NLC information linked to the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in mother nature, although not categorized when it comes to the prescripts with the Minimum Information and facts Protection Criteria (Overlook)”.
“The leakage of the suitable delicate Formal NLC details to your media does not pose a threat to nationwide safety,” the SSA stated, introducing the impact of your breaches was reputational.
The SSA report observed “no evidence of a factual and incriminating nature from any in the suspected NLC workers that would be recognized from the data and information interrogated”.
Furthermore, it mentioned that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities within the NLC and at its beneficiaries does deliver sufficient motive to obtain this sort of uncovered during the media”.
Conspiracy statements
In 2020, Nevhutanda explained to MPs all through a session of Parliament’s trade, market and Levels of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” during which details “stolen” from the NLC was sent to the US, the place he claimed it had been remaining sold to fund a smear marketing campaign versus the NLC.
He was repeating comparable statements he experienced Formerly created in Parliament, which included advert hominem assaults on GroundUp and this reporter but was very careful not to name either.
“I arrived right here in this August property past 12 months and claimed to honourable members that information regarding our beneficiaries has actually been stolen and place in one condition in the united states,” he informed MPs.
“We named over the Point out Protection Agency to return explore the issue mainly because we have been obtaining reports that our information is building income for media platforms and journalists,” he explained. “There have been speak, obviously from just one supply, a person media, that spoke Significantly about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda stated (referring to GroundUp), but didn't inform MPs the SSA investigation had been completed Practically a 12 months before.
Proactive funding was at the heart of your looting of the lottery. It aspect-stepped the normal grant system. The NLC could by itself establish a undertaking to fund and appoint a non-profit organisation to supervise it.
Following Nevhutanda very first told Parliament in 2018 that he had requested the SSA to research the intended breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Discussion board issued a press release expressing that his remarks reflected “a very risky Mindset in which the media is getting blamed for your NLC’s inherent troubles”.
“Rather than investigating why millions can't be accounted for, the NLC has in its place attempted to Solid question about the integrity on the journalists included and has asked the SSA to investigate their sources.”
Proactive tasks produced top secret
Protection flaws recognized while in the NLC grant funding technique throughout the SSA’s investigation, surface to are utilised being an excuse via the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded tasks from its central grants process.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding initiatives was heightened to ‘key’ and assignments were being faraway from the grant funding method and managed manually underneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Info Business office, Government Supervisor Lawful as a way to safeguard [the] info,” Nene said in her affidavit.
“There was loads of internal dialogue, with numerous backwards and forwards, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was in a very senior posture in the NLC at the time, told GroundUp. “In the end, the choice was taken to eliminate the many proactive jobs in the technique and limit entry to A few individuals”.
Some in that handful of people ended up implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned from the NLC various decades in the past, has been implicated in corruption involving lottery cash. He been given R4.3-million from lottery cash allotted to make a library and museum complex in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Tunes and Arts Expo) which he applied to construct a house within an upmarket gated enhancement in Pretoria. The residence is one of quite a few paid out for with lottery funds which were frozen once the Asset Forfeiture Device attained a preservation order in December 2022.
The politically-linked Nevhutanda, who was appointed as being the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near superior-ups inside the ANC leadership, previous NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief operating officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated inside the corruption which overcome 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 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 entire board and govt, took over in the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they discovered a “chaotic mess” during the documentation associated with proactive funding, Significantly of which was paper-centered. Important paperwork ended up lacking. Data files held for safekeeping by document storage firm Metrofile were signed out and in no way returned.
The NLC was ready to Get well copies of some ผล หวย ลาว paperwork from its Mimecast e-mail archiving system along with the laptops of their assistants and help personnel.
Information experiences
In his 1 December 2018 letter, dealt with to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has pointed out with grave issue doable data safety breaches along with the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private details attained because of executing Formal features from the Fee by NLC personnel. The pursuits are intended to undermine the integrity of your Commission although disrupting the effective functions [in the NLC] and triggering insurmountable reputational damage into the Fee given that the custodian of private data entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His request for your SSA to investigate was supported within an affidavit by suspended NLC firm secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is presently facing a disciplinary inquiry immediately after she was unsuccessful in legal motion to put aside findings of irregular expenditure on her watch.
The objective of her affidavit, Nene said, was “to report the events which transpired associated with information safety breaches with the Countrywide Lotteries Fee”.
She listed different news reviews which she claimed have been the outcome of those “breaches” (see at the end of this text).
Nene claimed that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that amongst its staff members, Sello Qhino, had “supplied her categorised NLC Facts and persistently encouraged her to deliver the knowledge to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle on a number of dodgy lottery-funded projects in Kuruman immediately after attempts to boost The difficulty internally had been overlooked, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an eighteen November 2018 post from the Daily Dispatch with regard to the misappropriation of Lottery funds, Nene stated the NLC recognized after which you can suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an staff in the NLC’s East London office, who was the companion and also the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s a few little ones.
Rungqu and Makatse believe that Rungqu was punished mainly because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, with the NLC expending R470,000 on attorneys to signify it, but was uncovered not responsible and allowed to return to work.
“The frequent factor in these articles or blog posts is [they involve] labeled information and facts referring to proactive funding assignments,” Nene reported in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out from the loved ones household to go ahead and take heat off her and his young children. Going through homelessness, he moved into an Office environment within an empty manufacturing unit belonging to an acquaintance.
Both equally Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation method intended to recognise the hurt a lot of people suffered within the palms from the NLC. Apologies and, in some cases, money compensation are predicted.
“Some folks were being truly influenced extremely negatively by this … This is actually agonizing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz told the Each day Maverick last yr.
“I satisfied a handful of these individuals. It was just so heart-wrenching that their entire life have been turned upside down,” said Scholtz.
Among those she achieved ended up Qhino and Makatse.
Risk-free platform desired for whistleblowers
The SSA observed the absence at time of an appropriate channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn to the media.
“Failure to have a committed anti-corruption channel will lead to staff members presenting this sort of conditions outside of the NLC,” the SSA claimed in its conclusions.
“Offered the magnitude of corruption in condition institutions, it stays very important that it ensures that the NLC complies with all safety prescripts and that its target is on making sure that unlawful and irregular perform is adequately mitigated in opposition to and by guaranteeing an enough channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out devoid of staying intimidated.”
It encouraged the NLC establish a “safe channel” for workers to supply info on any “untoward action” that would not protect against or discourage staff from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers plan, determined by the Guarded Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is a necessity.”
Media experiences Nene outlined
A 10 December 2017 report during the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Wellness and Conditioning Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored intently with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and operator of your Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The article experienced features of data not readily available in the general public domain, thus increasing problem on internal Information stability breaches. The allegations from the media ended up independently investigated,” Nene mentioned. “However, workforce to blame for divulging categorized facts have but to generally be recognized”;
A 28 January 2018 posting printed via the Dally Dispatch “citing many allegations through the Limpopo Mirror article printed on 10 December 2017 and also a new allegation concerning a previous personnel because of the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed to the risk induced on the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 post within the Lowvelder regarding the misappropriation of NLC money involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has reported how, Regardless of getting R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been concluded. “The Lowvelder write-up contained classified information and facts regarding NLC policy, elevating additional problems of interior details protection breaches,” Nene said in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence with regard to these allegations did not warrant an impartial Investigation, having said that [it] highlighted the heightened info safety hazards inside the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Primary Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene reported GroundUp experienced confirmed in its story that it absolutely was determined by leaked NLC documents. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Usage of Details) request for particulars concerning the task, she explained