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 National Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the Condition Security Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to analyze the leaking of paperwork that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s corporation secretary at the time stated media reviews she reported had been based on “stolen” data within an affidavit with the SSA.
The SSA did look into. It discovered the information was not a issue of condition safety and that the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” for the media to show it.
A brand new board and administration has since taken over the NLC and Up to now have taken actions to end corruption within the establishment.
A State Protection Agency (SSA) investigation observed that the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “presented ample motive” for publicity through the media.

The probe into meant “info safety breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was undertaken just after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote into the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to research.

Here is

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at the moment suspended NLC organization secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the safety company’s “confidential” findings and recommendations.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to analyze the role of NLC team during the alleged leaking of knowledge, and Nene, in her affidavit determined precise media and studies that she claimed involved these leaks.

Inside the letter outlining its conclusions, the SSA informed the NLC that while guarding condition info was “a lawful crucial targeted at shielding the sovereignty and integrity with the point out” this only applied to properly categorised details.

Although it didn't say so directly, the SSA conclusions implied that the allegedly leaked facts didn't fall into this class.

Significantly, the SSA manufactured it crystal clear that the necessity to shield state details “won't protect against any unique from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminality”.

The SSA investigation uncovered which the NLC facts involved with the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in mother nature, but not classified in terms of the prescripts of your Bare minimum Info Stability Expectations (MISS)”.

“The leakage with the related delicate Formal NLC info to your media doesn't pose a menace to countrywide stability,” the SSA stated, incorporating the effects from the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report identified “no evidence of a factual and incriminating nature towards any in the suspected NLC personnel that would be determined from the knowledge and info interrogated”.

What's more, it said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities within the NLC and at its beneficiaries does deliver sufficient motive to possess such uncovered within the media”.

Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda informed MPs during a session of Parliament’s trade, marketplace and Opposition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” wherein details “stolen” within the NLC was sent for the US, wherever he claimed it absolutely was being sold to fund a smear campaign towards the NLC.

He was repeating equivalent claims he had previously made in Parliament, which included advert hominem assaults on GroundUp and this reporter but was cautious not to call both.

“I came here During this August household previous year and described to honourable members that information regarding our beneficiaries continues to be stolen and place in a single point out in America,” he advised MPs.

“We termed around the Condition Protection Agency to come back take a look at the matter since we're receiving studies that our facts is making income for media platforms and journalists,” he claimed. “There was discuss, needless to say from a single source, just one media, that spoke Considerably about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda mentioned (referring to GroundUp), but didn't explain to MPs which the SSA investigation had been concluded Virtually a calendar year earlier.

Proactive funding was at the center of the looting in the lottery. It facet-stepped the normal grant system. The NLC could itself discover a undertaking to fund and appoint a non-income organisation to supervise it.

Immediately after Nevhutanda to start with advised Parliament in 2018 that he experienced questioned the SSA to investigate the intended breach, the South African Countrywide Editors Discussion board issued a press release indicating that his remarks reflected “a particularly risky attitude wherever the media is staying blamed for that NLC’s inherent challenges”.

“In lieu of investigating why thousands and thousands cannot be accounted for, the NLC has alternatively made an effort to Forged doubt over the integrity on the journalists included and has questioned the SSA to research their resources.”

Proactive initiatives created secret
Protection flaws discovered from the NLC grant funding technique in the course of the SSA’s investigation, show up to are applied being an excuse through the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded initiatives from its central grants technique.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding projects was heightened to ‘mystery’ and projects had been removed from the grant funding technique and maintained manually under the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Info Business, Executive Supervisor Authorized so that you can safeguard [the] details,” Nene stated in her affidavit.

“There was plenty of inner dialogue, with numerous back and forth, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was in a senior posture in the NLC at the time, explained to GroundUp. “In the end, the decision was taken to get rid of all the proactive initiatives through the program and limit entry to A few people”.

Some in that handful of folks ended up implicated in corruption.

Maselwa, who resigned through the NLC various years ago, has long been implicated in corruption involving lottery funds. He obtained R4.three-million from lottery resources allocated to construct a library and museum elaborate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Songs and Arts Expo) which he applied to build a property within an upmarket gated development in Pretoria. The home is one of many paid out for with lottery cash which were frozen once the Asset Forfeiture Device received a preservation buy 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 to large-ups inside the ANC leadership, previous NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief functioning officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated from the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their own look at.

Also implicated are former board customers William Huma, who resigned soon after he was confronted with evidence of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who may have due to the fact died.

Whenever a new administration, such as the entire board and government, took around on the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they learned a “chaotic mess” within the documentation associated with proactive funding, A great deal of which was paper-based. Important documents had been missing. Files held for safekeeping by document storage company Metrofile were signed out and never returned.

The NLC was in a position to recover copies of some หวย ลาว วัน นี้ files from its Mimecast electronic mail archiving method along with the laptops of their assistants and assist staff members.

Information studies
In his 1 December 2018 letter, addressed to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has mentioned with grave issue probable information and facts protection breaches along with the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential information received because of performing official capabilities while in the Fee by NLC personnel. The activities are intended to undermine the integrity of your Commission even though disrupting the effective functions [on the NLC] and causing insurmountable reputational harm on the Fee as being the custodian of private information entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

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

Nene is currently facing a disciplinary inquiry following she was unsuccessful in lawful motion to set aside conclusions of irregular expenditure on her enjoy.

The objective of her affidavit, Nene stated, was “to history the gatherings which transpired associated with info stability breaches on the Countrywide Lotteries Commission”.

She shown numerous news experiences which she claimed had been the final results of such “breaches” (see at the end of this text).

Nene said that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that among its personnel, Sello Qhino, experienced “furnished her categorised NLC Information and 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 posting from the Everyday Dispatch regarding the misappropriation of Lottery resources, Nene mentioned which the NLC recognized after which you can suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an worker from the NLC’s East London Workplace, who was the lover as well as mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s 3 small children.

Rungqu and Makatse believe that Rungqu was punished because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and billed internally, Together with the NLC shelling out R470,000 on attorneys to represent it, but was discovered not guilty and allowed to return to work.

“The frequent Consider these content is that [they involve] categorised information and facts regarding proactive funding assignments,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out from the family members home to go ahead and take heat off her and his young children. Facing homelessness, he moved into an Office environment within an empty factory belonging to a buddy.

Both Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation method meant to recognise the hurt a number of people endured for the palms of the NLC. Apologies and, in some instances, economic compensation are predicted.

“Some men and women have been genuinely influenced quite negatively by this … This is actually painful,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz told the Every day Maverick last 12 months.

“I satisfied a couple of these people today. It had been just so heart-wrenching that their complete lives are actually turned the other way up,” stated Scholtz.

Amongst those she satisfied ended up Qhino and Makatse.

Secure platform wanted for whistleblowers
The SSA found the absence at time of a suitable channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn on the media.

“Failure to have a devoted anti-corruption channel will end in workforce presenting this kind of instances outside of the NLC,” the SSA reported in its results.

“Provided the magnitude of corruption in state establishments, it remains crucial that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all protection prescripts and that its concentration is on making certain that unlawful and irregular carry out is adequately mitigated versus and by guaranteeing an sufficient channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward perform devoid of remaining intimidated.”

It encouraged that the NLC set up a “Secure channel” for workers to provide info on any “untoward exercise” that would not avert or discourage employees from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, depending on the Safeguarded Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is often a prerequisite.”

Media reviews Nene detailed
A 10 December 2017 report during the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Wellbeing and Health Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored closely with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and proprietor of the Limpopo Mirror, to reveal NLC corruption. “The posting had aspects of data not obtainable in the public area, therefore boosting issue on internal Details protection breaches. The allegations from the media were being independently investigated,” Nene reported. “Nevertheless, staff answerable for divulging categorized details have but to become identified”;
A 28 January 2018 posting released through the Dally Dispatch “citing numerous allegations within the Limpopo Mirror report published on ten December 2017 and a new allegation regarding a former worker via the name of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed to the danger brought on on the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 posting within the Lowvelder with regard to the misappropriation of NLC resources involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has reported how, in spite of acquiring R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab hasn't been done. “The Lowvelder posting contained categorised facts with regard to NLC coverage, raising further fears of inside details stability breaches,” Nene explained in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence regarding these allegations didn't warrant an independent Investigation, having said that [it] highlighted the heightened details stability hazards in the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a few dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Major Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene reported GroundUp experienced verified in its Tale that it was according to leaked NLC paperwork. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Access to Details) request for specifics in regards to the job, she claimed

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