Lottery bosses turned to Condition Security Agency to research leaks

Lottery bosses turned to Condition Security Agency to research leaks

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Previous Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda asked the State Stability Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to research the leaking of files that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s business secretary at time outlined media reports she explained were determined by “stolen” facts in an affidavit with the SSA.
The SSA did investigate. It discovered the data wasn't a matter of condition stability and the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” for your media to expose it.
A different board and management has given that taken more than the NLC and To this point have taken actions to finish corruption on the institution.
A State Protection Company (SSA) investigation located that the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “delivered sufficient motive” for publicity through the media.

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

Here's

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by currently suspended NLC business secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the safety company’s “private” conclusions and recommendations.
Nevhutanda asked the SSA to investigate the function of NLC workers while in the alleged leaking of knowledge, and Nene, in her affidavit recognized certain media and reviews that she claimed concerned these leaks.

During the letter outlining its conclusions, the SSA explained to the NLC that though preserving condition info was “a lawful essential aimed at shielding the sovereignty and integrity in the point out” this only placed on appropriately labeled info.

Although it did not say so instantly, the SSA findings implied that the allegedly leaked facts didn't tumble into this category.

Appreciably, the SSA built it distinct that the need to safeguard state details “isn't going to avert any particular person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminal activity”.

The SSA investigation located that the NLC information linked to the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in nature, although not categorized when it comes to the prescripts of the Least Details Stability Criteria (Miss out on)”.

“The leakage with the applicable delicate official NLC information and facts for the media does not pose a risk to countrywide protection,” the SSA said, incorporating the influence on the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report uncovered “no proof of the factual and incriminating mother nature versus any from the suspected NLC personnel that would be discovered from the data and details interrogated”.

What's more, it mentioned that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities throughout the NLC and at its beneficiaries does provide enough motive to acquire these types of uncovered while in the media”.

Conspiracy claims
In 2020, Nevhutanda told MPs during a session of Parliament’s trade, field and Level of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” through which details “stolen” in the NLC was sent to your US, exactly where he claimed it was currently being sold to fund a smear campaign from the NLC.

He was repeating comparable statements he experienced Earlier built in Parliament, which integrated ad hominem attacks on GroundUp and this reporter but was very careful not to call either.

“I came right here in this August home previous yr and described to honourable customers that information about our beneficiaries has long been stolen and place in a single condition in the usa,” he told MPs.

“We termed on the Condition Security Agency to come consider the make a difference for the reason that we've been receiving reviews that our information is producing cash for media platforms and journalists,” he stated. “There have been speak, obviously from 1 resource, one media, that spoke A great deal about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda explained (referring to GroundUp), but failed to explain to MPs which the SSA investigation had been accomplished Nearly a 12 months before.

Proactive funding was at the heart of your looting of the lottery. It aspect-stepped the traditional grant method. The NLC could alone establish a venture to fund and appoint a non-revenue organisation to supervise it.

Right after Nevhutanda initial advised Parliament in 2018 that he had asked the SSA to research the supposed breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Discussion board issued a statement expressing that his remarks mirrored “an especially unsafe Mind-set where by the media is remaining blamed for that NLC’s inherent challenges”.

“Rather then investigating why hundreds of thousands cannot be accounted for, the NLC has as a substitute tried to cast question about the integrity on the journalists concerned and it has asked the SSA to analyze their sources.”

Proactive jobs manufactured solution
Security flaws recognized in the NLC grant funding program throughout the SSA’s investigation, surface to are already made use of as an excuse because of the NLC to remove all proactive-funded assignments from its central grants process.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding jobs was heightened to ‘magic formula’ and assignments ended up faraway from the grant funding technique and preserved manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Details Office environment, Government Manager Lawful so that you can safeguard [the] information and facts,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.

“There was a great deal of inner dialogue, with a great deal of back and forth, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a source, who was in a very senior placement for the NLC at the time, advised GroundUp. “In the long run, the decision was taken to remove every one of the proactive jobs in the technique and Restrict use of A few persons”.

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

Maselwa, who resigned from your NLC many yrs back, continues to be implicated in corruption involving lottery resources. He gained R4.3-million from lottery funds allotted to develop a library and museum advanced in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Audio and Arts Expo) which he utilized to make a dwelling in an upmarket gated enhancement in Pretoria. The house is among a number of compensated for with lottery resources that were frozen following the Asset Forfeiture Device attained a preservation purchase 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 substantial-ups during the ANC leadership, former NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main running officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated from the corruption which confused the NLC on their own look at.

Also implicated are former board members William Huma, who resigned right after he was confronted with proof of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who's got considering the fact that died.

When a new administration, including the entire board and government, took more than at the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they found out a “chaotic mess” inside the documentation referring to proactive funding, much of which was paper-dependent. Key paperwork were missing. Information held for safekeeping by document storage organization Metrofile had been signed out and never ever returned.

The NLC was in the position to Get well copies of some ผล หวย paperwork from its Mimecast electronic mail archiving method plus the laptops in their assistants and assistance workers.

News studies
In his one December 2018 letter, resolved to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has famous with grave concern achievable facts stability breaches and also the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private facts received because of carrying out Formal features within the Fee by NLC workforce. The things to do are meant to undermine the integrity on the Commission while disrupting the productive functions [of the NLC] and resulting in insurmountable reputational damage on the Fee because the custodian of personal information entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

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

Nene is at this time dealing with a disciplinary inquiry just after she was unsuccessful in legal motion to put aside results of irregular expenditure on her watch.

The goal of her affidavit, Nene said, was “to file the occasions which transpired referring to facts safety breaches with the Countrywide Lotteries Fee”.

She mentioned many information reviews which she claimed had been the outcome of these “breaches” (see at the end of this article).

Nene stated that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one among its personnel, Sello Qhino, had “offered her categorised NLC Details and persistently inspired her to provide the knowledge to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle on the series of dodgy lottery-funded initiatives in Kuruman right after makes an attempt to boost The problem internally were being overlooked, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an 18 November 2018 short article inside the Each day Dispatch in regards to the misappropriation of Lottery money, Nene reported the NLC recognized then suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an worker within the NLC’s East London Business office, who was the spouse and also the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s 3 kids.

Rungqu and Makatse consider Rungqu was punished because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and billed internally, Along with the NLC spending R470,000 on lawyers to symbolize it, but was identified not responsible and allowed to return to operate.

“The common factor in these content articles is the fact [they require] categorised data associated with proactive funding tasks,” Nene reported in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out with the loved ones home to take the warmth off her and his kids. Experiencing homelessness, he moved into an Workplace in an vacant manufacturing unit belonging to a buddy.

Both Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation course of action meant to recognise the hurt a number of people endured with the palms with the NLC. Apologies and, occasionally, economical payment are envisioned.

“Some persons ended up genuinely affected pretty negatively by this … This is admittedly agonizing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz informed the Daily Maverick past yr.

“I achieved several these people. It absolutely was just so heart-wrenching that their complete life happen to be turned the wrong way up,” reported Scholtz.

Amid Those people she met had been Qhino and Makatse.

Safe and sound System desired for whistleblowers
The SSA found the absence at the time of a proper channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn to the media.

“Failure to possess a focused anti-corruption channel will bring about employees presenting such cases beyond the NLC,” the SSA explained in its findings.

“Given 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 emphasis is on ensuring that illegal and irregular carry out is sufficiently mitigated towards and by making sure an sufficient channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out without getting intimidated.”

It proposed which the NLC establish a “Protected channel” for employees to supply info on any “untoward action” that may not prevent or discourage staff from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers coverage, determined by the Secured Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is really a prerequisite.”

Media studies Nene listed
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 proprietor of your Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The article had components of information not obtainable in the public domain, thus boosting issue on inside Facts protection breaches. The allegations while in the media have been independently investigated,” Nene mentioned. “Nonetheless, workers accountable for divulging categorised data have however to generally be recognized”;
A 28 January 2018 article revealed by the Dally Dispatch “citing a lot of allegations from your Limpopo Mirror posting published on 10 December 2017 and also a new allegation referring to a former worker because of the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed for the threat triggered to your organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 article within the Lowvelder with regards to the misappropriation of NLC resources involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has reported how, Despite receiving R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been concluded. “The Lowvelder write-up contained classified information and facts concerning NLC coverage, boosting even further considerations of internal facts security breaches,” Nene reported in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence with regards to these allegations didn't warrant an independent Investigation, on the other hand [it] highlighted the heightened info safety challenges throughout the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a few dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Main Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene stated GroundUp had confirmed in its Tale that it absolutely was dependant on leaked NLC files. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Marketing of Entry to Info) ask for for aspects with regard to the challenge, she claimed

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