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 requested the State Protection Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to analyze the leaking of documents that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s organization secretary at some time detailed media reports she explained were dependant on “stolen” info in an affidavit for that SSA.
The SSA did look into. It found the information was not a make a difference of state 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 at the establishment.
A State Protection Agency (SSA) investigation uncovered the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “provided sufficient motive” for publicity through the media.

The probe into meant “data stability breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was undertaken just 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 now suspended NLC business secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the security agency’s “private” conclusions and proposals.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to analyze the purpose of NLC team during the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit determined certain media and reviews that she claimed involved these leaks.

During the letter outlining its results, the SSA explained to the NLC that whilst safeguarding point out info was “a authorized very important aimed at shielding the sovereignty and integrity from the condition” this only placed on properly categorized info.

Although it did not say so instantly, the SSA conclusions implied the allegedly leaked data did not tumble into this group.

Substantially, the SSA produced it clear that the need to secure point out facts “won't stop any individual from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminality”.

The SSA investigation discovered that the NLC data associated with the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in character, but not categorized with regard to the prescripts from the Bare minimum Info Protection Criteria (Overlook)”.

“The leakage with the applicable delicate official NLC info for the media doesn't pose a danger to countrywide protection,” the SSA reported, incorporating the influence of your breaches was reputational.

The SSA report located “no proof of a factual and incriminating character from any with the suspected NLC workforce that could be identified from the data and details interrogated”.

Additionally, it stated that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities throughout the NLC and at its beneficiaries does present ample motive to have such uncovered within the media”.

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

He was repeating equivalent statements he had previously produced in Parliament, which incorporated ad hominem assaults on GroundUp which reporter but was watchful not to name possibly.

“I came right here Within this August home last 12 months and noted to honourable users that information regarding our beneficiaries is stolen and set in one condition in the usa,” he informed MPs.

“We termed within the Condition Stability Company to come check into the matter since we have been having reports that our info is creating income for media platforms and journalists,” he claimed. “There was converse, certainly from a person resource, one particular media, that spoke Considerably about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda mentioned (referring to GroundUp), but failed to convey to MPs the SSA investigation were accomplished Virtually a calendar year previously.

Proactive funding was at the guts in the looting of your lottery. It aspect-stepped the traditional grant procedure. The NLC could by itself identify a task to fund and appoint a non-profit organisation to oversee it.

Soon after Nevhutanda first informed Parliament in 2018 that he had asked the SSA to investigate the intended breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Forum issued a statement stating that his remarks reflected “a particularly hazardous Perspective in which the media is becoming blamed for the NLC’s inherent problems”.

“Instead of investigating why tens of millions can't be accounted for, the NLC has rather made an effort to cast question around the integrity with the journalists concerned and it has questioned the SSA to investigate their sources.”

Proactive jobs made secret
Safety flaws determined from the NLC grant funding procedure throughout the SSA’s investigation, look to have been employed as an excuse via the NLC to remove all proactive-funded tasks from its central grants program.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding jobs was heightened to ‘secret’ and projects were removed from the grant funding technique and managed manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Information and facts Office, Executive Manager Lawful so that you can safeguard [the] information and facts,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.

“There was lots of inner discussion, with a lot of back and forth, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was in the senior situation for the NLC at the time, explained to GroundUp. “In the end, the decision was taken to eliminate each of the proactive jobs from your process and limit use of A few persons”.

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

Maselwa, who resigned in the NLC several decades in the past, has become implicated in corruption involving lottery funds. He acquired R4.three-million from lottery resources allocated to construct a library and museum complex in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Tunes and Arts Expo) which he used to construct a household in an upmarket gated progress in Pretoria. The house is among quite a few paid out for with lottery cash which were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Unit acquired a preservation order in December 2022.

The politically-connected Nevhutanda, who was appointed because the NLC board chairperson by former President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was close to higher-ups inside the ANC leadership, previous NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main running officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated inside the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their own view.

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, that has because died.

Any time a new administration, including the total board and govt, took above within the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they found a “chaotic mess” while in the documentation concerning proactive funding, Significantly of which was paper-dependent. Vital files ended up lacking. Information held for safekeeping by document storage organization Metrofile had been signed out and by no means returned.

The NLC was capable of recover copies of some หวย ลาว ล่าสุด paperwork from its Mimecast e mail archiving procedure and the laptops in their assistants and support employees.

News experiences
In his one December 2018 letter, tackled to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has famous with grave concern possible information stability breaches along with the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential information and facts acquired as a result of undertaking official features in the Commission by NLC workforce. The pursuits are meant to undermine the integrity from the Commission though disrupting the efficient features [with the NLC] and creating insurmountable reputational harm on the Commission as being the custodian of non-public facts entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

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

Nene is at the moment going through a disciplinary inquiry soon after she was unsuccessful in legal motion to set aside findings of irregular expenditure on her watch.

The purpose of her affidavit, Nene explained, was “to history the events which transpired referring to data protection breaches with the Nationwide Lotteries Commission”.

She detailed different news reports which she claimed were the results of such “breaches” (see at the end of this post).

Nene mentioned that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that certainly one of its employees, Sello Qhino, had “provided her labeled NLC Details and persistently inspired her to provide the knowledge to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle with a series of dodgy lottery-funded initiatives in Kuruman following makes an attempt to lift The difficulty internally were dismissed, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an 18 November 2018 short article in the Everyday Dispatch with regards to the misappropriation of Lottery resources, Nene reported which the NLC discovered after which you can suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an staff during the NLC’s East London Business, who was the husband or wife plus the mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three small children.

Rungqu and Makatse believe that Rungqu was punished due to the fact Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, While using the NLC shelling out R470,000 on legal professionals to depict it, but was found not guilty and permitted to return to operate.

“The typical Consider these articles is always that [they contain] classified details regarding proactive funding jobs,” Nene said in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out from the loved ones property to take the heat off her and his children. Facing homelessness, he moved into an Workplace within an empty factory belonging to a friend.

Both of those Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation procedure meant to recognise the harm some people endured in the hands on the NLC. Apologies and, in some cases, money payment are anticipated.

“Some people today had been seriously afflicted really negatively by this … This is admittedly distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz informed the Everyday Maverick very last 12 months.

“I fulfilled two or three these individuals. It absolutely was just so coronary heart-wrenching that their total life are already turned the wrong way up,” mentioned Scholtz.

Amongst These she achieved ended up Qhino and Makatse.

Protected platform wanted for whistleblowers
The SSA found the absence at the time of a proper channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show towards the media.

“Failure to possess a focused anti-corruption channel will end in staff members presenting these scenarios outside of the NLC,” the SSA said in its conclusions.

“Supplied the magnitude of corruption in state establishments, it remains important that it ensures that the NLC complies with all protection prescripts Which its concentrate is on making sure that unlawful and irregular carry out is adequately mitigated towards and by making certain an ample channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward perform without the need of becoming intimidated.”

It proposed that the NLC establish a “safe channel” for workers to provide information on any “untoward activity” that might not reduce or discourage workers from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, depending on the Safeguarded Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, can be a prerequisite.”

Media studies Nene stated
A ten December 2017 report while in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Overall health and Health Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked intently with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner of your Limpopo Mirror, to reveal NLC corruption. “The article experienced components of data not obtainable in the general public domain, thus raising worry on interior Facts protection breaches. The allegations while in the media were being independently investigated,” Nene stated. “On the other hand, workers answerable for divulging categorised details have still being identified”;
A 28 January 2018 write-up revealed through the Dally Dispatch “citing several allegations through the Limpopo Mirror write-up released on 10 December 2017 as well as a new allegation regarding a former employee through the name of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed for your threat brought on into the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 write-up during the Lowvelder about the misappropriation of NLC funds involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has described how, in spite of receiving R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has not been concluded. “The Lowvelder post contained categorized information concerning NLC policy, increasing further more fears of inner information and facts stability breaches,” Nene reported in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof regarding these allegations did not warrant an unbiased Investigation, having said that [it] highlighted the heightened information protection pitfalls inside the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Main Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene said GroundUp had verified in its Tale that it was based upon leaked NLC files. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Entry to Facts) ask for for details about the venture, she explained

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