Lottery bosses turned to State Security Agency to investigate leaks

Lottery bosses turned to State Security Agency to investigate leaks

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Previous Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the Condition Protection Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of paperwork that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s corporation secretary at time outlined media reports she reported have been dependant on “stolen” information within an affidavit for that SSA.
The SSA did examine. It discovered the knowledge wasn't a make a difference of condition stability and the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” for the media to reveal it.
A fresh board and administration has given that taken in excess of the NLC and To this point have taken measures to finish corruption with the institution.
A State Safety Agency (SSA) investigation located the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “presented sufficient motive” for exposure via the media.

The probe into supposed “information and facts security breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was carried out immediately after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote for the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to analyze.

Here is

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at present suspended NLC business secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the safety agency’s “confidential” findings and suggestions.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to analyze the part of NLC employees inside the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit discovered distinct media and studies that she claimed involved these leaks.

While in the letter outlining its conclusions, the SSA advised the NLC that whilst safeguarding state info was “a authorized crucial directed at safeguarding the sovereignty and integrity of the point out” this only applied to appropriately categorized details.

Even though it did not say so directly, the SSA results implied which the allegedly leaked details did not fall into this group.

Substantially, the SSA designed it clear that the need to guard condition information and facts “won't protect against any individual from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.

The SSA investigation discovered that the NLC data associated with the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in mother nature, but not classified in terms of the prescripts of your Minimum amount Information Safety Requirements (MISS)”.

“The leakage with the pertinent sensitive official NLC information and facts to the media isn't going to pose a menace to nationwide safety,” the SSA claimed, introducing the impression with the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report located “no proof of the factual and incriminating character towards any from the suspected NLC staff that can be discovered from the knowledge and knowledge interrogated”.

It also said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities inside the NLC and at its beneficiaries does provide enough motive to own this kind of exposed during the media”.

Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda told MPs through a session of Parliament’s trade, business and Levels of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” wherein information and facts “stolen” through the NLC was despatched to the US, where by he claimed it had been staying marketed to fund a smear marketing campaign from the NLC.

He was repeating very similar claims he had Beforehand produced in Parliament, which bundled ad hominem attacks on GroundUp and this reporter but was thorough not to call either.

“I came right here During this August residence very last calendar year and noted to honourable members that information regarding our beneficiaries continues to be stolen and place in a single point out in America,” he instructed MPs.

“We named over the State Stability Company to come back check into the make any difference mainly because we're receiving reviews that our information is building income for media platforms and journalists,” he said. “There has been communicate, not surprisingly from 1 source, just one media, that spoke A lot about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda explained (referring to GroundUp), but failed to convey to MPs that the SSA investigation had been accomplished Pretty much a year before.

Proactive funding was at the center in the looting in the lottery. It aspect-stepped the normal grant procedure. The NLC could alone discover a challenge to fund and appoint a non-profit organisation to oversee it.

Just after Nevhutanda very first instructed Parliament in 2018 that he experienced questioned the SSA to analyze the meant breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Discussion board issued a press release indicating that his remarks mirrored “an incredibly dangerous Frame of mind exactly where the media is being blamed to the NLC’s inherent problems”.

“As an alternative to investigating why millions cannot be accounted for, the NLC has rather tried to cast doubt within the integrity in the journalists associated and it has questioned the SSA to research their sources.”

Proactive projects built magic formula
Stability flaws discovered in the NLC grant funding technique through the SSA’s investigation, look to happen to be utilised as an excuse from the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded initiatives from its central grants method.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding jobs was heightened to ‘magic formula’ and tasks have been removed from the grant funding program and managed manually under the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Info Place of work, Executive Supervisor Legal to be able to safeguard [the] details,” Nene said in her affidavit.

“There was lots of internal dialogue, with lots of back and forth, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was inside of a senior placement on the NLC at the time, instructed GroundUp. “In the end, the choice was taken to eliminate each of the proactive jobs through the process and Restrict usage of A few individuals”.

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

Maselwa, who resigned from your NLC several several years ago, has long been implicated in corruption involving lottery resources. He gained R4.three-million from lottery money allocated to construct a library and museum intricate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Songs and Arts Expo) which he used to develop a property within an upmarket gated improvement in Pretoria. The residence is among a number of paid out for with lottery cash which were frozen once the Asset Forfeiture Device attained a preservation order 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 close to large-ups from the ANC Management, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main functioning officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated during the corruption which confused the NLC on their own check out.

Also implicated are previous board customers William Huma, who resigned immediately after he was confronted with proof of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who has since died.

Any time a new administration, including the complete board and govt, took above in the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they found out a “chaotic mess” from the documentation associated with proactive funding, A great deal of which was paper-primarily based. Essential files had been missing. Information held for safekeeping by document storage firm Metrofile had been signed out and under no circumstances returned.

The NLC was able to recover copies of some ตัว หวย files from its Mimecast e-mail archiving process and also the laptops in their assistants and aid employees.

News studies
In his 1 December 2018 letter, tackled to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has famous with grave problem achievable details safety breaches and also the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private data acquired on account of accomplishing official capabilities inside the Fee by NLC personnel. The actions are meant to undermine the integrity from the Fee while disrupting the powerful capabilities [in the NLC] and causing insurmountable reputational damage towards the Commission as being the custodian of personal data entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

His ask for for the SSA to investigate was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC firm secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.

Nene is currently dealing with a disciplinary inquiry right after she was unsuccessful in authorized action to put aside conclusions of irregular expenditure on her check out.

The goal of her affidavit, Nene explained, was “to file the occasions which transpired relating to information and facts safety breaches in the Countrywide Lotteries Commission”.

She mentioned different information reviews which she claimed were being the outcome of such “breaches” (see at the end of this article).

Nene explained that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that certainly one of its personnel, Sello Qhino, experienced “delivered her classified NLC Details and persistently inspired her to offer the data to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle over a series of dodgy lottery-funded initiatives in Kuruman just after tries to boost the issue internally were disregarded, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an 18 November 2018 write-up within the Day by day Dispatch about the misappropriation of Lottery cash, Nene stated which the NLC identified after which you can suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an worker during the NLC’s East London Business office, who was the partner along with the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three young children.

Rungqu and Makatse believe Rungqu was punished due to the fact Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and billed internally, with the NLC paying R470,000 on attorneys to depict it, but was uncovered not responsible and permitted to return to work.

“The popular Consider these posts is that [they involve] categorized details regarding proactive funding initiatives,” Nene explained in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out from the family house to take the warmth off her and his young children. Experiencing homelessness, he moved into an office within an empty manufacturing unit belonging to a friend.

Both Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation course of action intended to recognise the harm many people experienced for the palms of your NLC. Apologies and, in some cases, fiscal compensation are anticipated.

“Some people today were truly influenced very negatively by this … This is de facto distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz instructed the Each day Maverick very last 12 months.

“I satisfied several these people today. It had been just so heart-wrenching that their complete lives have already been turned upside down,” stated Scholtz.

Among those she fulfilled have been Qhino and Makatse.

Protected platform needed for whistleblowers
The SSA located the absence at some time of a suitable channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show for the media.

“Failure to possess a committed anti-corruption channel will result in workforce presenting this sort of scenarios beyond the NLC,” the SSA stated in its results.

“Provided the magnitude of corruption in state establishments, it continues to be important that it makes sure that the NLC complies with all safety prescripts Which its concentration is on making certain that illegal and irregular conduct is sufficiently mitigated in opposition to and by ensuring an enough channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out with out remaining intimidated.”

It advised which the NLC set up a “Harmless channel” for employees to supply information on any “untoward activity” that could not stop or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers plan, depending on the Safeguarded Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is actually a necessity.”

Media reviews Nene outlined
A ten December 2017 report from the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Wellbeing and Health Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked carefully with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and operator on the Limpopo Mirror, to expose NLC corruption. “The short article had aspects of data not obtainable in the general public area, thereby elevating worry on interior Info safety breaches. The allegations from the media were being independently investigated,” Nene said. “Even so, personnel responsible for divulging categorised information and facts have yet to generally be discovered”;
A 28 January 2018 report printed through the Dally Dispatch “citing numerous allegations within the Limpopo Mirror short article revealed on ten December 2017 plus a new allegation associated with a previous worker by the title of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed for the risk brought about to the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 report during the Lowvelder in regards to the misappropriation of NLC cash involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has claimed how, Despite receiving R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab hasn't been completed. “The Lowvelder article contained classified info when it comes to NLC policy, boosting even further worries of internal information protection breaches,” Nene explained in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence with regards to these allegations didn't warrant an independent Investigation, however [it] highlighted the heightened information protection dangers in the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Most important Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene explained GroundUp experienced verified in its Tale that it absolutely was depending on leaked NLC paperwork. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Advertising of Usage of Info) request for particulars with regards to the challenge, she reported

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