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 National Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the Point out Stability Company (SSA) in December 2018 to research the leaking of documents that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s corporation secretary at enough time stated media studies she stated had been based upon “stolen” data in an affidavit for that SSA.
The SSA did investigate. It observed the information was not a issue of condition stability and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “enough motive” for the media to expose it.
A different board and administration has considering that taken around the NLC and So far have taken actions to end corruption for the institution.
A Condition Safety Agency (SSA) investigation located that the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “furnished enough motive” for exposure by the media.

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

Here's

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by now suspended NLC company secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the security agency’s “confidential” results and proposals.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to research the purpose of NLC staff while in the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit identified precise media and studies that she claimed concerned these leaks.

From the letter outlining its conclusions, the SSA told the NLC that when protecting point out data was “a lawful essential aimed toward guarding the sovereignty and integrity of your condition” this only placed on appropriately categorized information and facts.

Although it did not say so straight, the SSA findings implied the allegedly leaked information and facts did not slide into this class.

Considerably, the SSA designed it very clear that the necessity to shield state data “won't prevent any particular person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.

The SSA investigation identified which the NLC data linked to the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in character, but not categorised when it comes to the prescripts from the Minimal Information Stability Benchmarks (Miss out on)”.

“The leakage from the applicable sensitive official NLC facts for the media would not pose a risk to nationwide stability,” the SSA stated, incorporating which the impact from the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report discovered “no evidence of a factual and incriminating mother nature versus any of the suspected NLC staff that would be determined from the data and information interrogated”.

Additionally, it stated that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities within the NLC and at its beneficiaries does deliver ample motive to get this kind of exposed inside the media”.

Conspiracy claims
In 2020, Nevhutanda told MPs during a session of Parliament’s trade, sector and Levels of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” during which information and facts “stolen” in the NLC was despatched into the US, the place he claimed it was being marketed to fund a smear campaign from the NLC.

He was repeating similar statements he experienced Beforehand produced in Parliament, which incorporated ad hominem attacks on GroundUp which reporter but was thorough not to name either.

“I arrived below With this August property final year and claimed to honourable associates that information about our beneficiaries has long been stolen and put in a single point out in the united states,” he explained to MPs.

“We referred to as over the State Safety Company to return consider the issue because we are acquiring studies that our information and facts is building money for media platforms and journalists,” he stated. “There has been speak, obviously from 1 source, one media, that spoke Substantially about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda explained (referring to GroundUp), but didn't notify MPs the SSA investigation had been completed Nearly a calendar year earlier.

Proactive funding was at the center with the looting of the lottery. It facet-stepped the conventional grant procedure. The NLC could alone identify a undertaking to fund and appoint a non-financial gain organisation to supervise it.

After Nevhutanda initially explained to Parliament in 2018 that he had requested the SSA to analyze the meant breach, the South African National Editors Discussion board issued a statement declaring that his remarks reflected “a very dangerous Mindset wherever the media is getting blamed for that NLC’s inherent complications”.

“Instead of investigating why hundreds of thousands cannot be accounted for, the NLC has instead attempted to cast doubt around the integrity of the journalists concerned and has requested the SSA to investigate their resources.”

Proactive jobs built secret
Safety flaws determined during the NLC grant funding system through the SSA’s investigation, appear to have been used as an justification because of the NLC to remove all proactive-funded tasks from its central grants process.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding jobs was heightened to ‘secret’ and assignments had been faraway from the grant funding process and taken care of manually underneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Facts Office environment, Executive Supervisor Lawful in an effort to safeguard [the] info,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.

“There was plenty of inside dialogue, with plenty of backwards and forwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was inside of a senior position on the NLC at enough time, instructed GroundUp. “In the long run, the choice was taken to get rid of every one of the proactive initiatives within the process and limit entry to A few people today”.

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

Maselwa, who resigned through the NLC a number of years back, has become implicated in corruption involving lottery funds. He gained R4.3-million from lottery cash allotted to construct a library and museum complex in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Audio and Arts Expo) which he made use of to construct a household within an upmarket gated improvement in Pretoria. The house is among quite a few compensated for with lottery resources which were frozen once the Asset Forfeiture Device attained a preservation get in December 2022.

The politically-related Nevhutanda, who was appointed as the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near significant-ups from the ANC leadership, former NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief operating officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated in the corruption which confused the NLC on their watch.

Also implicated are previous board associates William Huma, who resigned after he was confronted with proof of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who's got because died.

Any time a new administration, including the overall board and govt, took in excess of at the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they identified a “chaotic mess” during the documentation referring to proactive funding, Considerably of which was paper-centered. Important documents had been missing. Files held for safekeeping by document storage business Metrofile were signed out and never returned.

The NLC was in a position to recover copies of some หวย วัน นี้ documents from its Mimecast e-mail archiving technique plus the laptops in their assistants and guidance team.

Information stories
In his 1 December 2018 letter, tackled to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has noted with grave concern probable facts protection breaches as well as the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private facts acquired as a result of undertaking official features within the Fee by NLC employees. The pursuits are meant to undermine the integrity in the Fee though disrupting the successful features [of your NLC] and creating insurmountable reputational damage on the Fee given that the custodian of private information entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

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

Nene is now facing a disciplinary inquiry after she was unsuccessful in lawful action to put aside results of irregular expenditure on her observe.

The purpose of her affidavit, Nene reported, was “to report the activities which transpired referring to facts protection breaches with the Countrywide Lotteries Commission”.

She stated 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 “presented her labeled NLC Facts and persistently inspired her to offer the knowledge to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle on a number of dodgy lottery-funded initiatives in Kuruman immediately after makes an attempt to raise The difficulty internally have been dismissed, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an eighteen November 2018 report within the Day by day Dispatch with regard to the misappropriation of Lottery money, Nene reported the NLC identified after which you can suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an worker in the NLC’s East London office, who was the spouse and also the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s 3 young children.

Rungqu and Makatse imagine Rungqu was punished due to the fact Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and billed internally, Along with the NLC paying R470,000 on legal professionals to signify it, but was located not responsible and allowed to return to work.

“The typical Think about these articles or blog posts is usually that [they contain] labeled data referring to proactive funding projects,” Nene reported in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out on the household house to go ahead and take warmth off her and his young children. Facing homelessness, he moved into an Business within an empty factory belonging to a buddy.

Both of those Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation course of action meant to recognise the hurt some individuals endured with the palms with the NLC. Apologies and, sometimes, money payment are anticipated.

“Some folks have been truly affected incredibly negatively by this … This is admittedly unpleasant,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz told the Everyday Maverick past 12 months.

“I fulfilled several these men and women. It had been just so heart-wrenching that their whole life have already been turned the other way up,” explained Scholtz.

Among the Individuals she achieved have been Qhino and Makatse.

Safe platform required for whistleblowers
The SSA uncovered the absence at time of a suitable channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn on the media.

“Failure to possess a committed anti-corruption channel will end in employees presenting this sort of situations outside of the NLC,” the SSA explained in its findings.

“Offered the magnitude of corruption in point out institutions, it remains important that it makes sure that the NLC complies with all protection prescripts and that its emphasis is on making certain that unlawful and irregular conduct is sufficiently mitigated versus and by guaranteeing an sufficient channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out without staying intimidated.”

It recommended that the NLC establish a “Protected channel” for employees to supply information on any “untoward activity” that would not stop or discourage staff from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, depending on the Guarded Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is a need.”

Media studies Nene detailed
A ten December 2017 report from the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Wellbeing and Physical fitness 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, thus boosting concern on internal Details protection breaches. The allegations from the media were being independently investigated,” Nene said. “Nonetheless, staff to blame for divulging labeled data have but for being identified”;
A 28 January 2018 posting released through the Dally Dispatch “citing many allegations within the Limpopo Mirror short article published on ten December 2017 along with a new allegation regarding a former worker via the name of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed for that danger brought on on the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 posting within the Lowvelder with regards to the misappropriation of NLC resources involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has claimed how, Despite acquiring R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab hasn't been concluded. “The Lowvelder short article contained labeled data regarding NLC policy, boosting further more problems of inner information protection breaches,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regard to these allegations didn't warrant an unbiased Investigation, even so [it] highlighted the heightened info protection risks inside the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a couple of dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Primary Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene mentioned GroundUp experienced verified in its Tale that it had been dependant on leaked NLC files. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Advertising of Usage of Information) ask for for details concerning the undertaking, she mentioned

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