Previous National Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda requested the Point out Protection Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to research the leaking of documents that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s firm secretary at some time detailed media experiences she said ended up according to “stolen” info in an affidavit with the SSA.
The SSA did look into. It found the data was not a subject of condition stability and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” for that media to show it.
A whole new board and administration has because taken about the NLC and Up to now have taken steps to end corruption with the establishment.
A Condition Protection Company (SSA) investigation found which the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “supplied ample motive” for exposure through the media.
The probe into supposed “details safety breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was undertaken just after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote towards the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to investigate.
Here is
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by now suspended NLC enterprise secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the safety company’s “private” conclusions and proposals.
Nevhutanda requested the SSA to research the position of NLC staff during the alleged leaking of information, and Nene, in her affidavit determined specific media and studies that she claimed associated these leaks.
Within the letter outlining its findings, the SSA instructed the NLC that when defending condition information was “a authorized essential geared toward safeguarding the sovereignty and integrity from the state” this only placed on properly labeled facts.
Although it didn't say so straight, the SSA conclusions implied the allegedly leaked facts did not tumble into this group.
Significantly, the SSA built it crystal clear that the need to protect point out data “does not stop any particular person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminality”.
The SSA investigation identified which the NLC data involved with the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in character, although not labeled concerning the prescripts on the Minimal Info Protection Requirements (MISS)”.
“The leakage with the relevant sensitive official NLC data into the media does not pose a threat to national protection,” the SSA said, introducing which the affect with the breaches was reputational.
The SSA report located “no evidence of the factual and incriminating mother nature from any of your suspected NLC workers that might be identified from the data and info interrogated”.
In addition, it stated that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities in the NLC and at its beneficiaries does offer ample motive to possess these exposed inside the media”.
Conspiracy claims
In 2020, Nevhutanda instructed MPs during a session of Parliament’s trade, field and Level of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” wherein facts “stolen” through the NLC was sent to the US, wherever he claimed it had been being offered to fund a smear marketing campaign towards the NLC.
He was repeating related promises he experienced Earlier made in Parliament, which provided advertisement hominem assaults on GroundUp and this reporter but was cautious not to name both.
“I came here Within this August home final yr and noted to honourable users that specifics of our beneficiaries continues to be stolen and put in a single point out in the usa,” he told MPs.
“We termed about the State Safety Company to come back consider the make any difference because we're getting studies that our information and facts is building money for media platforms and journalists,” he stated. “There has been chat, needless to say from a person resource, one particular media, that spoke Substantially about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda reported (referring to GroundUp), but didn't inform MPs that the SSA investigation had been finished Practically a 12 months previously.
Proactive funding was at the guts on the looting of your lottery. It side-stepped the conventional grant process. The NLC could itself establish a project to fund and appoint a non-income organisation to oversee it.
Right after Nevhutanda 1st advised Parliament in 2018 that he had questioned the SSA to analyze the intended breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Discussion board issued an announcement stating that his remarks mirrored “an incredibly dangerous Mindset wherever the media is becoming blamed to the NLC’s inherent difficulties”.
“As opposed to investigating why thousands and thousands cannot be accounted for, the NLC has in its place tried to Solid question on the integrity in the journalists associated and has questioned the SSA to investigate their resources.”
Proactive projects built mystery
Protection flaws identified while in the NLC grant funding procedure through the SSA’s investigation, surface to are already applied being an excuse via the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded projects from its central grants system.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding assignments was heightened to ‘mystery’ and initiatives ended up removed from the grant funding program and taken care of manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Info Workplace, Government Manager Authorized in an effort to safeguard [the] details,” Nene stated in her affidavit.
“There was loads of inner dialogue, with numerous forwards and backwards, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was in the senior position within the NLC at enough time, instructed GroundUp. “Ultimately, the choice was taken to get rid of the many proactive assignments in the process and limit access to a handful of individuals”.
Some in that handful of men and women ended up implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned with the NLC several yrs back, is implicated in corruption involving lottery funds. He obtained R4.three-million from lottery resources allocated to construct a library and museum sophisticated in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Audio and Arts Expo) which he applied to make a household in an upmarket gated growth in Pretoria. The home is among several paid for with lottery funds that were frozen once the Asset Forfeiture Unit acquired a preservation get in December 2022.
The politically-related Nevhutanda, who was appointed because the NLC board chairperson by former President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near to significant-ups in the ANC Management, previous NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief working officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated inside the corruption which overcome the NLC on their view.
Also implicated are previous board customers William Huma, who resigned soon after he was confronted with evidence of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who has considering that died.
When a new administration, such as the whole board and government, took over in the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they discovered a “chaotic mess” during the documentation associated with proactive funding, much of which was paper-centered. Crucial paperwork were being missing. Information held for safekeeping by document storage firm Metrofile were signed out and in no way returned.
The NLC was capable of Recuperate copies of some ผล หวย หุ้น documents from its Mimecast e-mail archiving technique and the laptops of their assistants and help personnel.
News stories
In his 1 December 2018 letter, resolved to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has observed with grave worry probable information and facts stability breaches and the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private facts received as a result of accomplishing official capabilities from the Commission by NLC employees. The pursuits are meant to undermine the integrity from the Commission though disrupting the powerful capabilities [of your NLC] and creating insurmountable reputational damage towards the Commission as being the custodian of private information and facts entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His ask for with the SSA to analyze was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC organization secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is presently dealing with a disciplinary inquiry following she was unsuccessful in lawful action to put aside findings of irregular expenditure on her observe.
The purpose of her affidavit, Nene claimed, was “to document the events which transpired regarding info protection breaches at the Nationwide Lotteries Fee”.
She shown different information experiences which she claimed had been the results of these “breaches” (see at the end of this article).
Nene mentioned that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one of its staff, Sello Qhino, had “offered her labeled NLC Information and facts and persistently inspired her to offer the data to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle with a series of dodgy lottery-funded jobs in Kuruman just after makes an attempt to raise The problem internally have been dismissed, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an eighteen November 2018 posting in the Daily Dispatch regarding the misappropriation of Lottery resources, Nene explained that the NLC determined then suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an employee during the NLC’s East London Office environment, who was the spouse plus the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s a few kids.
Rungqu and Makatse imagine Rungqu was punished simply because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, Using the NLC shelling out R470,000 on attorneys to characterize it, but was located not guilty and permitted to return to work.
“The typical factor in these articles is that [they contain] categorized information associated with proactive funding projects,” 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. Going through homelessness, he moved into an office in an empty factory belonging to a colleague.
The two Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation course of action meant to recognise the hurt many people suffered with the palms in the NLC. Apologies and, in some instances, economic payment are predicted.
“Some men and women had been truly affected incredibly negatively by this … This is admittedly distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz advised the Day by day Maverick final 12 months.
“I met several these individuals. It was just so heart-wrenching that their total life have been turned upside down,” stated Scholtz.
Amid Individuals she fulfilled ended up Qhino and Makatse.
Harmless System desired for whistleblowers
The SSA discovered the absence at the time of an appropriate channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn to the media.
“Failure to possess a devoted anti-corruption channel will result in workforce presenting these types of cases beyond the NLC,” the SSA explained in its findings.
“Specified the magnitude of corruption in state establishments, it continues to be critical that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all stability prescripts Which its target is on guaranteeing that unlawful and irregular carry out is sufficiently mitigated versus and by ensuring an sufficient channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward conduct with out getting intimidated.”
It encouraged the NLC establish a “Secure channel” for employees to deliver info on any “untoward action” that could not protect against or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers coverage, determined by the Safeguarded Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is a prerequisite.”
Media reviews Nene mentioned
A 10 December 2017 report in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and fitness and Health and fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked intently with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and proprietor from the Limpopo Mirror, to expose NLC corruption. “The short article had things of knowledge not accessible in the public area, thus boosting issue on inside Data protection breaches. The allegations during the media were being independently investigated,” Nene claimed. “Nonetheless, workforce liable for divulging classified information and facts have nonetheless to get identified”;
A 28 January 2018 posting revealed by the Dally Dispatch “citing quite a few allegations from the Limpopo Mirror report revealed on ten December 2017 along with a new allegation regarding a previous staff via the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed with the risk caused to the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 posting from the Lowvelder regarding the misappropriation of NLC funds involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has noted how, in spite of getting R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been done. “The Lowvelder article contained categorised facts regarding NLC policy, elevating even more issues of inside info security breaches,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regards to these allegations did not warrant an impartial Investigation, however [it] highlighted the heightened data stability risks within the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Major Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene mentioned GroundUp had confirmed in its Tale that it absolutely was according to leaked NLC documents. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Marketing of Access to Information) ask for for information about the project, she claimed