Lottery bosses turned to State Protection Company to analyze leaks

Lottery bosses turned to State Protection Company to analyze leaks

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Previous Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the Condition Security Company (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of paperwork that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s enterprise secretary at time mentioned media studies she said have been depending on “stolen” facts within an affidavit for the SSA.
The SSA did investigate. It observed the data wasn't a make any difference of point out stability and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “enough motive” for that media to reveal it.
A different board and management has considering that taken around the NLC and To this point have taken steps to finish corruption on the institution.
A Condition Protection Company (SSA) investigation identified the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “delivered enough motive” for publicity because of the media.

The probe into meant “information safety breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was carried out just after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote to your SSA in December 2018 requesting it to research.

Here is

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by now suspended NLC corporation secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the security company’s “private” results and recommendations.
Nevhutanda asked the SSA to investigate the role of NLC staff in the alleged leaking of knowledge, and Nene, in her affidavit determined certain media and stories that she claimed included these leaks.

Inside the letter outlining its findings, the SSA instructed the NLC that although defending point out facts was “a legal vital aimed toward protecting the sovereignty and integrity on the point out” this only applied to appropriately labeled information and facts.

Although it did not say so right, the SSA conclusions implied which the allegedly leaked info did not fall into this category.

Drastically, the SSA designed it apparent that the necessity to guard condition data “isn't going to avoid any personal from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.

The SSA investigation found which the NLC data involved in the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in nature, although not classified when it comes to the prescripts of your Bare minimum Information Safety Standards (Miss out on)”.

“The leakage of the pertinent delicate Formal NLC information for the media won't pose a danger to countrywide stability,” the SSA said, adding that the influence from the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report identified “no evidence of a factual and incriminating mother nature versus any with the suspected NLC staff members which could be determined from the knowledge and information interrogated”.

Additionally, it mentioned that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities inside the NLC and at its beneficiaries does provide sufficient motive to have these types of exposed from the media”.

Conspiracy claims
In 2020, Nevhutanda advised MPs during a session of Parliament’s trade, sector and Competitors portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” through which information and facts “stolen” in the NLC was sent for the US, wherever he claimed it had been staying marketed to fund a smear campaign in opposition to the NLC.

He was repeating equivalent claims he experienced Earlier manufactured in Parliament, which provided ad hominem assaults on GroundUp and this reporter but was cautious not to call either.

“I arrived listed here Within this August house very last yr and claimed to honourable associates that specifics of our beneficiaries is stolen and set in a single state in the united states,” he explained to MPs.

“We known as about the Point out Stability Company to come explore the issue for the reason that we've been having reports that our info is generating money for media platforms and journalists,” he said. “There has been communicate, certainly from a person supply, 1 media, that spoke much about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda reported (referring to GroundUp), but did not tell MPs the SSA investigation were concluded Nearly a year earlier.

Proactive funding was at the guts of your looting on the lottery. It aspect-stepped the traditional grant process. The NLC could by itself detect a undertaking to fund and appoint a non-profit organisation to supervise it.

Right after Nevhutanda to start with told Parliament in 2018 that he experienced asked the SSA to analyze the meant breach, the South African Countrywide Editors Forum issued a press release indicating that his remarks reflected “a particularly harmful Frame of mind where by the media is currently being blamed for your NLC’s inherent issues”.

“Rather then investigating why thousands and thousands cannot be accounted for, the NLC has as an alternative made an effort to Solid doubt on the integrity in the journalists included and it has asked the SSA to research their resources.”

Proactive projects produced key
Safety flaws identified in the NLC grant funding process over the SSA’s investigation, look to have already been made use of as an justification via the NLC to get rid of all proactive-funded projects from its central grants technique.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding jobs was heightened to ‘key’ and initiatives were faraway from the grant funding method and maintained manually underneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Data Office environment, Executive Supervisor Authorized as a way to safeguard [the] info,” Nene reported in her affidavit.

“There was plenty of inner discussion, with plenty of back and forth, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was in the senior place within the NLC at enough time, told GroundUp. “Eventually, the decision was taken to get rid of every one of the proactive tasks through the system and limit use of a handful of people”.

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

Maselwa, who resigned from the NLC a number of many years ago, continues to be implicated in corruption involving lottery funds. He received R4.three-million from lottery cash allocated to make a library and museum elaborate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Tunes and Arts Expo) which he utilised to construct a dwelling in an upmarket gated development in Pretoria. The residence is one of many paid for with lottery money which were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Unit received a preservation get in December 2022.

The politically-connected Nevhutanda, who was appointed as being the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near large-ups from the ANC Management, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main functioning officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated in the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their own watch.

Also implicated are previous board users 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 due to the fact died.

Each time a new administration, including the entire board and govt, took above in the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they discovered a “chaotic mess” from the documentation associated with proactive funding, A lot of which was paper-centered. Crucial files had been lacking. Data files held for safekeeping by document storage firm Metrofile were signed out and by no means returned.

The NLC was in the position to Get better copies of some luckyvip77 paperwork from its Mimecast electronic mail archiving technique and the laptops in their assistants and support personnel.

Information reports
In his 1 December 2018 letter, resolved to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has noted with grave problem doable information safety breaches along with the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private information and facts obtained as a result of carrying out official capabilities in the Fee by NLC staff members. The pursuits are intended to undermine the integrity in the Fee when disrupting the productive features [from the NLC] and causing insurmountable reputational hurt for the Fee because the custodian of private data entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

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

Nene is at the moment facing a disciplinary inquiry soon after she was unsuccessful in lawful motion to set aside findings of irregular expenditure on her look at.

The goal of her affidavit, Nene said, was “to record the activities which transpired associated with data protection breaches for the Nationwide Lotteries Commission”.

She detailed different news experiences which she claimed were being the final results of those “breaches” (see at the end of this informative article).

Nene stated that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one of its workforce, Sello Qhino, had “delivered her labeled NLC Info and persistently encouraged her to deliver the information to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle on the number of dodgy lottery-funded jobs in Kuruman right after tries to lift The difficulty internally had been dismissed, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an 18 November 2018 report during the Daily Dispatch with regards to the misappropriation of Lottery funds, Nene stated which the NLC recognized and after that suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an personnel within the NLC’s East London Place of work, who was the partner as well as the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s a few kids.

Rungqu and Makatse imagine Rungqu was punished because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, Using the NLC shelling out R470,000 on attorneys to symbolize it, but was located not guilty and permitted to return to operate.

“The common factor in these articles or blog posts is usually that [they entail] categorized information and facts concerning proactive funding initiatives,” Nene explained in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out from the family property to go ahead and take heat off her and his little ones. Dealing with homelessness, he moved into an office within an empty manufacturing facility belonging to an acquaintance.

Each Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation course of action meant to recognise the hurt some individuals suffered on the fingers in the NLC. Apologies and, in some instances, economic compensation are expected.

“Some individuals were being seriously influenced really negatively by this … This is basically unpleasant,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz explained to the Each day Maverick past 12 months.

“I satisfied a few these persons. It was just so heart-wrenching that their full life have already been turned the other way up,” said Scholtz.

Amid Those people she met ended up Qhino and Makatse.

Secure platform wanted for whistleblowers
The SSA identified the absence at some time of a proper channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn for the media.

“Failure to have a devoted anti-corruption channel will end in employees presenting this kind of instances beyond the NLC,” the SSA claimed in its findings.

“Specified the magnitude of corruption in condition institutions, it continues to be critical that it ensures that the NLC complies with all stability prescripts and that its concentration is on making certain that unlawful and irregular perform is adequately mitigated from and by ensuring an ample channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward perform devoid of getting intimidated.”

It proposed that the NLC set up a “Risk-free channel” for workers to offer info on any “untoward action” that might not protect against or discourage workforce from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers plan, based upon the Secured Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, can be a necessity.”

Media reports Nene mentioned
A 10 December 2017 report within the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and Fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked intently with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner with the Limpopo Mirror, to expose NLC corruption. “The report experienced factors of data not available in the public domain, therefore increasing issue on interior Details safety breaches. The allegations from the media were being independently investigated,” Nene said. “Nevertheless, staff answerable for divulging labeled data have nevertheless for being identified”;
A 28 January 2018 article posted because of the Dally Dispatch “citing several allegations in the Limpopo Mirror posting revealed on ten December 2017 plus a new allegation relating to a former personnel from the title of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed for the risk brought about to the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 write-up from the Lowvelder concerning the misappropriation of NLC money involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has documented how, Regardless of getting R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been finished. “The Lowvelder post contained classified information when it comes to NLC plan, increasing even more considerations of interior facts safety breaches,” Nene said in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regard to these allegations did not warrant an unbiased Investigation, even so [it] highlighted the heightened information protection threats 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 absolutely was based on leaked NLC documents. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Access to Details) request for specifics with regards to the job, she claimed

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