Former National Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda requested the Condition Protection Company (SSA) in December 2018 to research the leaking of paperwork that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s firm secretary at time detailed media stories she said were being according to “stolen” information within an affidavit to the SSA.
The SSA did look into. It identified the data was not a subject of condition security and the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” with the media to reveal it.
A fresh board and administration has given that taken above the NLC and To date have taken actions to end corruption on the establishment.
A State Safety Company (SSA) investigation located which the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “presented enough motive” for exposure with the media.
The probe into meant “information protection breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was carried out soon after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote towards the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to research.
Here's
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by presently suspended NLC enterprise secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the security company’s “confidential” results and recommendations.
Nevhutanda requested the SSA to research the role of NLC staff during the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit identified precise media and experiences that she claimed included these leaks.
From the letter outlining its results, the SSA informed the NLC that even though shielding condition details was “a legal imperative geared toward preserving the sovereignty and integrity in the point out” this only applied to properly classified facts.
Although it did not say so immediately, the SSA results implied the allegedly leaked info didn't slide into this class.
Drastically, the SSA designed it distinct that the need to secure state facts “will not reduce any person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminal activity”.
The SSA investigation uncovered that the NLC details involved with the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in character, although not categorized with regards to the prescripts of your Bare minimum Information Stability Expectations (Overlook)”.
“The leakage of the suitable sensitive official NLC information and facts towards the media will not pose a menace to countrywide stability,” the SSA said, introducing which the impact in the breaches was reputational.
The SSA report observed “no evidence of a factual and incriminating nature against any with the suspected NLC personnel that can be identified from the information and data interrogated”.
In addition, it mentioned that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities inside the NLC and at its beneficiaries does deliver sufficient motive to possess such uncovered while in the media”.
Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda instructed MPs throughout a session of Parliament’s trade, marketplace and Competitors portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” where information and facts “stolen” in the NLC was despatched towards the US, wherever he claimed it absolutely was remaining bought to fund a smear campaign towards the NLC.
He was repeating comparable promises he experienced previously produced in Parliament, which included advert hominem attacks on GroundUp which reporter but was watchful not to name either.
“I came here On this August residence final calendar year and described to honourable members that specifics of our beneficiaries has long been stolen and place in a single point out in the united states,” he informed MPs.
“We named about the Point out Safety Company to return consider the subject because we are receiving stories that our information and facts is generating revenue for media platforms and journalists,” he said. “There's been speak, naturally from just one source, 1 media, that spoke much about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda claimed (referring to GroundUp), but did not tell MPs which the SSA investigation were completed Just about a year earlier.
Proactive funding was at the guts in the looting on the lottery. It facet-stepped the conventional grant process. The NLC could itself discover a task to fund and appoint a non-profit organisation to supervise it.
Soon after Nevhutanda very first informed Parliament in 2018 that he had questioned the SSA to analyze the supposed breach, the South African National Editors Forum issued a statement expressing that his remarks mirrored “a particularly hazardous Angle the place the media is staying blamed with the NLC’s inherent issues”.
“In lieu of investigating why millions can not be accounted for, the NLC has rather tried to Solid doubt around the integrity with the journalists involved and has asked the SSA to investigate their resources.”
Proactive projects made mystery
Stability flaws recognized from the NLC grant funding procedure over the SSA’s investigation, show up to are actually utilized being an excuse from the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded tasks from its central grants system.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding jobs was heightened to ‘mystery’ and jobs had been removed from the grant funding technique and managed manually underneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Details Office environment, Govt Supervisor Authorized so that you can safeguard [the] information,” Nene stated in her affidavit.
“There was lots of internal dialogue, with numerous backwards and forwards, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was in a very senior placement in the NLC at some time, advised GroundUp. “In the end, the choice was taken to eliminate every one of the proactive projects within the program and Restrict usage of a handful of men and women”.
Some in that handful of folks had been implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned with the NLC several many years in the past, has actually been implicated in corruption involving lottery resources. He received R4.three-million from lottery resources allotted to develop a library and museum elaborate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural New music and Arts Expo) which he made use of to make a household in an upmarket gated advancement in Pretoria. The home is among many paid for with lottery resources that were frozen once the Asset Forfeiture Unit attained a preservation purchase in December 2022.
The politically-related Nevhutanda, who was appointed since the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was close to significant-ups inside the ANC Management, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief working officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated during the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their enjoy.
Also implicated are previous board members William Huma, who resigned soon after he was confronted with proof of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who's got since died.
Every time a new administration, such as the entire board and executive, took in excess of at the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they learned a “chaotic mess” from the documentation relating to proactive funding, Significantly of which was paper-based mostly. Crucial documents were lacking. Documents held for safekeeping by document storage company Metrofile were signed out and hardly ever returned.
The NLC was in the position to Recuperate copies of some ตรวจ หวย ลาว documents from its Mimecast email archiving system and the laptops in their assistants and help workers.
News stories
In his 1 December 2018 letter, addressed to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has observed with grave concern feasible information protection breaches as well as the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private data obtained due to executing Formal capabilities within the Fee by NLC workers. The things to do are intended to undermine the integrity from the Commission when disrupting the efficient functions [in the NLC] and resulting in insurmountable reputational damage to your Fee given that 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 company secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is now experiencing a disciplinary inquiry soon after she was unsuccessful in lawful action to put aside findings of irregular expenditure on her view.
The goal of her affidavit, Nene stated, was “to report the occasions which transpired associated with information and facts security breaches in the Nationwide Lotteries Commission”.
She detailed a variety of news reviews which she claimed had been the outcome of these “breaches” (see at the conclusion of this informative article).
Nene stated that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that certainly one of its employees, Sello Qhino, experienced “offered her classified NLC Facts and persistently encouraged her to offer the information to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle with a series of dodgy lottery-funded initiatives in Kuruman right after tries to raise the issue internally ended up ignored, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an 18 November 2018 article from the Everyday Dispatch regarding the misappropriation of Lottery resources, Nene stated that the NLC determined and afterwards suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an worker within the NLC’s East London Workplace, who was the partner as well as mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s a few kids.
Rungqu and Makatse think Rungqu was punished for the reason that Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and billed internally, Using the NLC paying R470,000 on lawyers to stand for it, but was observed not guilty and permitted to return to operate.
“The popular Consider these articles is usually that [they require] labeled facts relating to proactive funding assignments,” Nene explained in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out of the relatives residence to take the heat off her and his children. Struggling with homelessness, he moved into an Workplace in an vacant factory belonging to an acquaintance.
Both of those Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation system meant to recognise the damage many people endured for the arms with the NLC. Apologies and, occasionally, money compensation are envisioned.
“Some persons have been truly afflicted quite negatively by this … This is actually distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz advised the Daily Maverick very last year.
“I fulfilled a couple of these men and women. It was just so heart-wrenching that their entire lives are already turned the other way up,” said Scholtz.
Among those she achieved were being Qhino and Makatse.
Safe System desired for whistleblowers
The SSA found the absence at the time of an appropriate channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show on the media.
“Failure to possess a committed anti-corruption channel will lead to workforce presenting such conditions outside of the NLC,” the SSA reported in its results.
“Offered the magnitude of corruption in point out establishments, it remains vital that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all security prescripts and that its aim is on ensuring that illegal and irregular conduct is adequately mitigated from and by ensuring an satisfactory channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out with out currently being intimidated.”
It recommended which the NLC create a “Safe and sound channel” for employees to supply info on any “untoward exercise” that could not protect against or discourage personnel from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, based on the Shielded Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is really a prerequisite.”
Media reports Nene listed
A 10 December 2017 report in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and Exercise Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored closely with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and proprietor of your Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The post had components of information not obtainable in the public domain, thus increasing problem on inner Details safety breaches. The allegations in the media were being independently investigated,” Nene reported. “On the other hand, staff members to blame for divulging classified facts have but to generally be recognized”;
A 28 January 2018 short article published with the Dally Dispatch “citing various allegations in the Limpopo Mirror report posted on ten December 2017 and a new allegation referring to a former employee from the name of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed with the menace brought about into the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 write-up within the Lowvelder with regards to the misappropriation of NLC money involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has reported how, Regardless of receiving R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has not been completed. “The Lowvelder short article contained classified information and facts with regards to NLC plan, raising even more concerns of inner facts stability breaches,” Nene stated in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence with regard to these allegations did not warrant an independent Investigation, nonetheless [it] highlighted the heightened data protection pitfalls in the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a couple of dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Main Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene reported GroundUp experienced confirmed in its Tale that it had been determined by leaked NLC documents. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Marketing of Access to Information and facts) request for particulars about the job, she mentioned