Former National Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the State Safety Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of paperwork that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s corporation secretary at the time listed media reports she explained had been according to “stolen” facts within an affidavit to the SSA.
The SSA did examine. It observed the data wasn't a subject of point out stability and the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” for the media to show it.
A different board and management has since taken about the NLC and So far have taken measures to finish corruption for the institution.
A Condition Security Agency (SSA) investigation found which the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “presented ample motive” for exposure because of the media.
The probe into supposed “details protection breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was undertaken soon after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote into the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to analyze.
Here's
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at this time suspended NLC corporation secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the safety company’s “confidential” conclusions and suggestions.
Nevhutanda asked the SSA to analyze the position of NLC workers in the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit identified precise media and studies that she claimed associated these leaks.
While in the letter outlining its conclusions, the SSA advised the NLC that though safeguarding point out information was “a legal critical directed at protecting the sovereignty and integrity from the state” this only applied to properly classified facts.
Even though it didn't say so immediately, the SSA conclusions implied which the allegedly leaked information didn't fall into this group.
Significantly, the SSA manufactured it very clear that the need to protect state facts “doesn't avert any particular person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.
The SSA investigation uncovered the NLC details linked to the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in character, although not classified in terms of the prescripts on the Bare minimum Information and facts Protection Criteria (MISS)”.
“The leakage on the related sensitive Formal NLC info to your media won't pose a menace to national security,” the SSA stated, incorporating the impression of your breaches was reputational.
The SSA report uncovered “no proof of the factual and incriminating mother nature against any of the suspected NLC workers that would be recognized from the information and data interrogated”.
In addition, it stated that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities in the NLC and at its beneficiaries does supply enough motive to have these kinds of uncovered from the media”.
Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda explained to MPs throughout a session of Parliament’s trade, market and Levels of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” where facts “stolen” through the NLC was sent to the US, where by he claimed it had been being marketed to fund a smear campaign from the NLC.
He was repeating equivalent promises he had Earlier made in Parliament, which provided advert hominem attacks on GroundUp and this reporter but was thorough not to call possibly.
“I came right here During this August home previous 12 months and described to honourable users that specifics of our beneficiaries continues to be stolen and put in a single point out in the usa,” he instructed MPs.
“We identified as to the Condition Security Company to come back explore the make a difference simply because we've been receiving reviews that our information is making cash for media platforms and journalists,” he reported. “There's been communicate, needless to say from one source, one particular media, that spoke much about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda explained (referring to GroundUp), but did not convey to MPs which the SSA investigation were completed Nearly a yr previously.
Proactive funding was at the heart from the looting in the lottery. It side-stepped the normal grant procedure. The NLC could alone detect a challenge to fund and appoint a non-gain organisation to oversee it.
Right after Nevhutanda initial told Parliament in 2018 that he experienced asked the SSA to research the supposed breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Discussion board issued an announcement indicating that his remarks reflected “an incredibly hazardous Angle in which the media is remaining blamed for your NLC’s inherent troubles”.
“Rather than investigating why hundreds of thousands can't be accounted for, the NLC has as a substitute made an effort to Solid question about the integrity with the journalists included and has asked the SSA to investigate their resources.”
Proactive initiatives designed solution
Stability flaws discovered in the NLC grant funding method through the SSA’s investigation, look to are already utilised as an excuse by the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded initiatives from its central grants program.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding jobs was heightened to ‘mystery’ and tasks were being removed from the grant funding system and preserved manually under the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Facts Place of work, Govt Supervisor Legal so as to safeguard [the] information,” Nene explained in her affidavit.
“There was many interior dialogue, with lots of forwards and backwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was in a senior position at the NLC at some time, explained to GroundUp. “In the long run, the decision was taken to get rid of many of the proactive jobs from the system and Restrict use of a handful of men and women”.
Some in that handful of men and women have been implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned from the NLC various yrs in the past, has actually been implicated in corruption involving lottery funds. He obtained R4.3-million from lottery resources allocated to create a library and museum elaborate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Music and Arts Expo) which he utilised to build a residence in an upmarket gated progress in Pretoria. The house is one of a number of paid out for with lottery funds that were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Unit attained a preservation buy in December 2022.
The politically-related Nevhutanda, who was appointed as being the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near substantial-ups while in the ANC leadership, former NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief operating officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated while in the corruption which overcome the NLC on their enjoy.
Also implicated are previous board customers William Huma, who resigned just after he was confronted with evidence of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who has since died.
Every time a new administration, such as the entire board and government, took over for the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they discovered a “chaotic mess” inside the documentation regarding proactive funding, Significantly of which was paper-dependent. Critical files were missing. Files held for safekeeping by document storage company Metrofile had been signed out and in no way returned.
The NLC was capable of Get better copies of some ผล สลาก files from its Mimecast e mail archiving process along with the laptops of their assistants and aid staff members.
Information studies
In his 1 December 2018 letter, dealt with to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has observed with grave concern probable information and facts protection breaches along with the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential information received because of carrying out Formal features in the Fee by NLC workers. The things to do are intended to undermine the integrity of your Commission when disrupting the successful capabilities [of the NLC] and triggering insurmountable reputational hurt towards the Commission as being the custodian of private information entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His request for your SSA to research was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC firm secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is at this time struggling with a disciplinary inquiry after she was unsuccessful in lawful motion to set aside findings of irregular expenditure on her watch.
The goal of her affidavit, Nene reported, was “to report the functions which transpired referring to information stability breaches on the Countrywide Lotteries Commission”.
She listed several news studies which she claimed were the final results of these “breaches” (see at the end of this article).
Nene explained that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that amongst its staff, Sello Qhino, had “furnished her categorised NLC Information and persistently encouraged her to provide the information to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle on a number of dodgy lottery-funded jobs in Kuruman after tries to lift The problem internally have been dismissed, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an 18 November 2018 posting from the Each day Dispatch with regards to the misappropriation of Lottery money, Nene said the NLC identified after which you can suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an worker during the NLC’s East London Business office, who was the partner plus the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three young children.
Rungqu and Makatse believe Rungqu was punished since Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, While using the NLC spending R470,000 on lawyers to symbolize it, but was identified not guilty and allowed to return to operate.
“The common Think about these articles is that [they contain] categorised facts associated with proactive funding tasks,” Nene said in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out with the household house to go ahead and take heat off her and his little ones. Dealing with homelessness, he moved into an office in an empty manufacturing unit belonging to a pal.
Equally Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation procedure intended to recognise the damage a lot of people experienced at the hands in the NLC. Apologies and, in some instances, fiscal compensation are anticipated.
“Some men and women have been genuinely impacted really negatively by this … This is basically painful,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz explained to the Each day Maverick previous yr.
“I achieved a handful of these folks. It absolutely was just so heart-wrenching that their full lives are actually turned the wrong way up,” reported Scholtz.
Amid Those people she satisfied ended up Qhino and Makatse.
Safe platform essential for whistleblowers
The SSA uncovered the absence at the time of a correct channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn on the media.
“Failure to possess a committed anti-corruption channel will end in workforce presenting this kind of instances outside of the NLC,” the SSA said in its conclusions.
“Specified the magnitude of corruption in condition institutions, it remains very important that it makes sure that the NLC complies with all safety prescripts Which its emphasis is on making certain that unlawful and irregular conduct is sufficiently mitigated towards and by making sure an ample channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward perform with no becoming intimidated.”
It encouraged that the NLC set up a “Safe and sound channel” for workers to provide information on any “untoward action” that may not stop or discourage personnel from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers coverage, dependant on the Protected Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is a requirement.”
Media reports Nene outlined
A ten December 2017 report in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and Fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored carefully with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner of your Limpopo Mirror, to reveal NLC corruption. “The post experienced factors of data not offered in the public domain, thus raising worry on internal Data stability breaches. The allegations inside the media were being independently investigated,” Nene stated. “On the other hand, workers answerable for divulging categorised information have however for being recognized”;
A 28 January 2018 report released because of the Dally Dispatch “citing a lot of allegations with the Limpopo Mirror short article released on 10 December 2017 along with a new allegation relating to a previous worker from the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed with the risk brought on into the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 post while in the Lowvelder regarding the misappropriation of NLC resources involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has described how, Regardless of receiving R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has not been finished. “The Lowvelder article contained categorised details in terms of NLC coverage, increasing additional problems of interior details protection breaches,” Nene reported in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regard to these allegations did not warrant an independent Investigation, nevertheless [it] highlighted the heightened info protection threats throughout the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a few dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Main Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene reported GroundUp had confirmed in its Tale that it had been according to leaked NLC files. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Usage of Info) ask for for specifics about the job, she explained