Lottery bosses turned to State Security Agency to investigate leaks

Lottery bosses turned to State Security Agency to investigate leaks

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Former Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the Point out Security Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to analyze the leaking of paperwork that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s company secretary at enough time outlined media reports she explained have been based upon “stolen” data within an affidavit to the SSA.
The SSA did examine. It located the information wasn't a make a difference of condition stability and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” for your media to reveal it.
A fresh board and management has considering the fact that taken above the NLC and thus far have taken actions to finish corruption within the institution.
A Condition Safety Agency (SSA) investigation located the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “presented sufficient motive” for exposure with the media.

The probe into intended “facts stability breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was carried out immediately after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote on the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to investigate.

Here's

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by currently suspended NLC firm secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the safety company’s “private” results and proposals.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to analyze the job of NLC staff within the alleged leaking of information, and Nene, in her affidavit identified unique media and reports that she claimed associated these leaks.

During the letter outlining its results, the SSA informed the NLC that whilst protecting condition data was “a legal vital aimed toward guarding the sovereignty and integrity with the state” this only placed on correctly classified facts.

Even though it didn't say so immediately, the SSA results implied which the allegedly leaked information did not fall into this class.

Appreciably, the SSA built it distinct that the need to safeguard state details “will not avert any specific from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminal activity”.

The SSA investigation discovered that the NLC data involved in the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in character, although not categorised when it comes to the prescripts of your Minimum Information and facts Stability Expectations (MISS)”.

“The leakage from the suitable sensitive official NLC information and facts into the media isn't going to pose a threat to national stability,” the SSA mentioned, incorporating that the effect with the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report uncovered “no proof of the factual and incriminating nature against any of the suspected NLC workforce that might be identified from the knowledge and details interrogated”.

In addition, it mentioned that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities in the NLC and at its beneficiaries does provide enough motive to own these kinds of uncovered while in the media”.

Conspiracy claims
In 2020, Nevhutanda explained to MPs during a session of Parliament’s trade, field and Level of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” during which info “stolen” in the NLC was sent to the US, in which he claimed it was being bought to fund a smear marketing campaign versus the NLC.

He was repeating identical statements he experienced previously manufactured in Parliament, which provided ad hominem attacks on GroundUp which reporter but was thorough not to name possibly.

“I came here Within this August house very last yr and claimed to honourable associates that information about our beneficiaries has long been stolen and put in a single point out in America,” he advised MPs.

“We called within the Condition Stability Company to return explore the make any difference simply because we're receiving stories that our information and facts is building money for media platforms and journalists,” he stated. “There has been speak, obviously from 1 resource, just one media, that spoke Substantially about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda mentioned (referring to GroundUp), but failed to notify MPs that the SSA investigation were finished Pretty much a yr before.

Proactive funding was at the heart with the looting from the lottery. It aspect-stepped the traditional grant method. The NLC could by itself identify a task to fund and appoint a non-gain organisation to supervise it.

Right after Nevhutanda 1st explained to Parliament in 2018 that he experienced questioned the SSA to research the intended breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Forum issued a statement stating that his remarks mirrored “an extremely dangerous attitude where by the media is remaining blamed to the NLC’s inherent troubles”.

“As an alternative to investigating why millions can not be accounted for, the NLC has as an alternative made an effort to cast question on the integrity on the journalists concerned and it has requested the SSA to analyze their sources.”

Proactive projects designed key
Stability flaws recognized in the NLC grant funding technique throughout the SSA’s investigation, show up to happen to be utilised being an justification from the NLC to get rid of all proactive-funded initiatives from its central grants system.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding tasks was heightened to ‘key’ 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 Business office, Executive Supervisor Authorized in an effort to safeguard [the] details,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit.

“There was lots of interior discussion, with lots of backwards and forwards, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was in a senior situation in the NLC at enough time, told GroundUp. “In the long run, the choice was taken to eliminate each of the proactive initiatives through the process and Restrict entry to A few individuals”.

Some in that handful of individuals were implicated in corruption.

Maselwa, who resigned within the NLC a number of several years ago, is implicated in corruption involving lottery resources. He acquired R4.three-million from lottery resources allotted to make a library and museum complex in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural New music and Arts Expo) which he utilised to build a dwelling in an upmarket gated improvement in Pretoria. The assets is among quite a few paid out for with lottery resources that were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Unit received 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 higher-ups in the ANC leadership, former NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main operating officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated from the corruption which overcome the NLC on their observe.

Also implicated are previous board members William Huma, who resigned after he was confronted with evidence of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who's got given that died.

Any time a new administration, including the whole board and executive, took more than on the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they found out a “chaotic mess” in the documentation referring to proactive funding, Significantly of which was paper-primarily based. Important files had been missing. Documents held for safekeeping by doc storage business Metrofile had been signed out and never returned.

The NLC was capable to Get better copies of some ตรวจ รางวัล paperwork from its Mimecast e mail archiving system as well as the laptops of their assistants and help personnel.

News studies
In his 1 December 2018 letter, addressed to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has noted with grave issue probable information and facts protection breaches along with the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential information and facts received as a result of accomplishing official capabilities inside the Fee by NLC staff. The activities are intended to undermine the integrity of your Commission even though disrupting the effective features [with the NLC] and creating insurmountable reputational damage to your Fee as the custodian of personal details entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

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

Nene is at present going through a disciplinary inquiry soon after she was unsuccessful in legal motion to put aside findings of irregular expenditure on her view.

The goal of her affidavit, Nene claimed, was “to file the occasions which transpired concerning facts safety breaches within the Nationwide Lotteries Fee”.

She outlined several information studies which she claimed were being 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, had “presented her labeled NLC Facts and persistently inspired her to offer the knowledge to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle on the series of dodgy lottery-funded projects in Kuruman after tries to boost the issue internally were being overlooked, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an 18 November 2018 article from the Everyday Dispatch regarding the misappropriation of Lottery resources, Nene explained which the NLC recognized and then suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an worker during the NLC’s East London Place of work, who was the lover and also the mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three young children.

Rungqu and Makatse consider Rungqu was punished simply because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, With all the NLC shelling out R470,000 on attorneys to depict it, but was located not guilty and permitted to return to operate.

“The widespread factor in these articles is that [they contain] labeled info concerning proactive funding initiatives,” Nene stated in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out of your household home to take the heat off her and his small children. Going through homelessness, he moved into an Business within an vacant factory belonging to a pal.

Equally Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation course of action meant to recognise the damage lots of people experienced within the arms with the NLC. Apologies and, sometimes, fiscal compensation are expected.

“Some individuals were being seriously impacted extremely negatively by this … This is really agonizing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz informed the Day by day Maverick previous calendar year.

“I satisfied two or three these men and women. It absolutely was just so heart-wrenching that their entire life have been turned upside down,” explained Scholtz.

Between those she met have been Qhino and Makatse.

Risk-free System wanted for whistleblowers
The SSA uncovered the absence at some time of a suitable channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn for the media.

“Failure to have a dedicated anti-corruption channel will bring about workforce presenting these scenarios outside of the NLC,” the SSA said in its results.

“Offered the magnitude of corruption in point out institutions, it continues to be essential that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all safety prescripts Which its focus is on guaranteeing that unlawful and irregular perform is adequately mitigated in opposition to and by making sure an satisfactory channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out without the need of becoming intimidated.”

It advisable the NLC create a “Harmless channel” for workers to offer info on any “untoward action” that might not avert or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers coverage, depending on the Safeguarded Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is usually a prerequisite.”

Media studies Nene outlined
A ten December 2017 report while in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Wellness and Fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked intently with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner with the Limpopo Mirror, to expose NLC corruption. “The report experienced components of knowledge not out there in the public domain, thereby elevating worry on inside Information security breaches. The allegations inside the media have been independently investigated,” Nene claimed. “Having said that, employees accountable for divulging classified information have yet to be determined”;
A 28 January 2018 report printed by the Dally Dispatch “citing various allegations through the Limpopo Mirror write-up posted on 10 December 2017 in addition to a new allegation associated with a previous employee with the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed to the menace caused for the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 article from the Lowvelder concerning the misappropriation of NLC resources involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has documented how, Regardless of acquiring R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been concluded. “The Lowvelder article contained classified data regarding NLC coverage, increasing additional worries of interior information and facts stability breaches,” Nene said in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof regarding these allegations did not warrant an independent Investigation, however [it] highlighted the heightened information protection hazards within the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a couple of dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Major Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene reported GroundUp had confirmed in its story that it absolutely was determined by leaked NLC files. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Advertising of Access to Facts) ask for for aspects with regards to the challenge, she said

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