Lottery bosses turned to State Stability Agency to investigate leaks

Lottery bosses turned to State Stability Agency to investigate leaks

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Former National Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda asked the Point out Protection Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to research the leaking of documents that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s enterprise secretary at time outlined media reports she reported have been depending on “stolen” information in an affidavit for that SSA.
The SSA did look into. It discovered the knowledge wasn't a make any difference of state protection and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” for that media to show it.
A fresh board and management has considering that taken in excess of the NLC and To this point have taken steps to finish corruption on the institution.
A Condition Stability Agency (SSA) investigation identified which the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “delivered ample motive” for publicity because of the media.

The probe into meant “facts stability breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was carried out 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 at the moment suspended NLC company secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the security agency’s “private” findings and recommendations.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to research the position of NLC staff members in the alleged leaking of knowledge, and Nene, in her affidavit discovered particular media and experiences that she claimed concerned these leaks.

Inside the letter outlining its results, the SSA advised the NLC that even though shielding condition data was “a authorized critical aimed toward defending the sovereignty and integrity in the point out” this only placed on appropriately classified information.

Even though it did not say so directly, the SSA results implied which the allegedly leaked data didn't fall into this group.

Significantly, the SSA manufactured it clear that the need to guard point out information “isn't going to reduce any person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminal activity”.

The SSA investigation uncovered which the NLC information and facts linked to the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in nature, although not classified with regards to the prescripts in the Minimal Information Stability Criteria (Overlook)”.

“The leakage in the relevant sensitive Formal NLC info to your media doesn't pose a menace to countrywide stability,” the SSA explained, introducing which the influence on the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report found “no evidence of the factual and incriminating nature in opposition to 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 inside the NLC and at its beneficiaries does offer enough motive to acquire this kind of uncovered while in the media”.

Conspiracy claims
In 2020, Nevhutanda explained to MPs for the duration of a session of Parliament’s trade, business and Opposition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” wherein data “stolen” from the NLC was sent into the US, where he claimed it was currently being marketed to fund a smear marketing campaign versus the NLC.

He was repeating similar claims he experienced previously created in Parliament, which incorporated ad hominem assaults on GroundUp which reporter but was cautious not to name either.

“I arrived in this article in this August dwelling previous yr and described to honourable associates that specifics of our beneficiaries has actually been stolen and put in one condition in the usa,” he informed MPs.

“We identified as around the Condition Protection Company to return look into the issue for the reason that we've been getting reviews that our details is creating funds for media platforms and journalists,” he explained. “There's been discuss, needless to say from a single source, one media, that spoke A great deal about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda claimed (referring to GroundUp), but did not tell MPs the SSA investigation were accomplished Practically a year previously.

Proactive funding was at the center from the looting from the lottery. It side-stepped the traditional grant process. The NLC could by itself discover a task to fund and appoint a non-financial gain organisation to supervise it.

Soon after Nevhutanda very first informed Parliament in 2018 that he experienced asked the SSA to analyze the supposed breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Discussion board issued a statement expressing that his remarks reflected “a particularly risky attitude in which the media is getting blamed to the NLC’s inherent challenges”.

“As an alternative to investigating why tens of millions cannot be accounted for, the NLC has alternatively made an effort to Solid question about the integrity in the journalists involved and has questioned the SSA to investigate their sources.”

Proactive initiatives made mystery
Stability flaws identified inside the NLC grant funding process during the SSA’s investigation, seem to are already applied being an excuse through the NLC to remove all proactive-funded tasks from its central grants method.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding jobs was heightened to ‘top secret’ and initiatives have been removed from the grant funding procedure and preserved manually under the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Information and facts Office environment, Executive Manager Lawful in an effort to safeguard [the] info,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.

“There was lots of inside dialogue, with plenty of backwards and forwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was in a senior place with the NLC at enough time, explained to GroundUp. “Eventually, the choice was taken to eliminate many of the proactive jobs from the system and Restrict use of a handful of individuals”.

Some in that handful of people were being implicated in corruption.

Maselwa, who resigned through the NLC numerous many years back, is implicated in corruption involving lottery funds. He gained R4.three-million from lottery money allotted to construct a library and museum elaborate 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 residence is among quite a few paid for with lottery funds that were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Unit acquired a preservation purchase 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 high-ups within the ANC Management, previous NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief functioning officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated from the corruption which overcome the NLC on their check out.

Also implicated are previous board members William Huma, who resigned just after he was confronted with evidence of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, that has because died.

Every time a new administration, including the total board and govt, took above within the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they identified a “chaotic mess” during the documentation referring to proactive funding, Substantially of which was paper-based. Important documents have been missing. Information held for safekeeping by document storage organization Metrofile had been signed out and by no means returned.

The NLC was capable of Recuperate copies of some ตรวจ หวย ลาว วัน นี้ paperwork from its Mimecast e mail archiving procedure as well as the laptops of their assistants and help personnel.

Information studies
In his 1 December 2018 letter, tackled to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has mentioned with grave problem feasible details security breaches and the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private facts acquired as a result of accomplishing official capabilities while in the Fee by NLC personnel. The actions are meant to undermine the integrity from the Commission though disrupting the successful capabilities [of the NLC] and triggering insurmountable reputational hurt to the Commission since the custodian of non-public facts entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

His request with the SSA to research was supported within an affidavit by suspended NLC firm secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.

Nene is at present struggling with a disciplinary inquiry soon after she was unsuccessful in lawful action to set aside conclusions of irregular expenditure on her watch.

The objective of her affidavit, Nene reported, was “to document the functions which transpired concerning info safety breaches with the Nationwide Lotteries Fee”.

She stated many information stories which she claimed ended up the final results of those “breaches” (see at the end of this post).

Nene explained that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one among its staff, Sello Qhino, experienced “furnished her categorized NLC Information and persistently inspired her to provide the knowledge to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle on a series of dodgy lottery-funded projects in Kuruman immediately after makes an attempt to raise The difficulty internally were disregarded, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an eighteen November 2018 report from the Day-to-day Dispatch in regards to the misappropriation of Lottery money, Nene stated the NLC recognized after which you can suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an personnel in the NLC’s East London Office environment, who was the companion and the mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s 3 little ones.

Rungqu and Makatse think Rungqu was punished simply because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, Along with the NLC spending R470,000 on legal professionals to signify it, but was uncovered not responsible and permitted to return to work.

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

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out of the loved ones dwelling to take the warmth off her and his young children. Going through homelessness, he moved into an Place of work in an vacant manufacturing facility belonging to an acquaintance.

The two Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation process intended to recognise the damage lots of people suffered in the fingers in the NLC. Apologies and, sometimes, fiscal compensation are anticipated.

“Some folks have been actually impacted extremely negatively by this … This is actually distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz instructed the Everyday Maverick last 12 months.

“I met a handful of these folks. It absolutely was just so coronary heart-wrenching that their complete life happen to be turned the wrong way up,” reported Scholtz.

Amongst All those she achieved were Qhino and Makatse.

Risk-free System wanted for whistleblowers
The SSA found the absence at the time of a proper channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show to the media.

“Failure to possess a focused anti-corruption channel will bring about workforce presenting these types of conditions outside of the NLC,” the SSA mentioned in its findings.

“Specified the magnitude of corruption in condition establishments, it stays essential that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all safety prescripts Which its target is on making sure that illegal and irregular carry out is sufficiently mitigated towards and by making sure an sufficient channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out without getting intimidated.”

It encouraged which the NLC establish a “Protected channel” for employees to supply information on any “untoward action” that might not protect against or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers plan, based upon the Secured Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is actually a necessity.”

Media reports Nene listed
A ten December 2017 report inside the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Wellness and Health and 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 post had features of information not out there in the public domain, therefore increasing issue on internal Data protection breaches. The allegations in the media had been independently investigated,” Nene explained. “Having said that, employees accountable for divulging categorized details have but for being identified”;
A 28 January 2018 post published via the Dally Dispatch “citing a lot of allegations through the Limpopo Mirror write-up published on 10 December 2017 along with a new allegation concerning a former personnel from the title of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed for your menace caused on the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 article inside the Lowvelder about the misappropriation of NLC funds involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has noted how, Regardless of getting R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has not been accomplished. “The Lowvelder report contained categorized data regarding NLC coverage, raising further concerns of inside data security breaches,” Nene reported in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence with regards to these allegations did not warrant an unbiased Investigation, even so [it] highlighted the heightened info protection dangers in the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a few dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Key Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene stated GroundUp had confirmed in its Tale that it absolutely was based on leaked NLC documents. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Entry to Data) ask for for facts about the venture, she stated

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