Former Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda requested the Point out Stability Company (SSA) in December 2018 to analyze the leaking of files that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s business secretary at time detailed media stories she claimed ended up based on “stolen” information within an affidavit to the SSA.
The SSA did investigate. It uncovered the knowledge was not a make any difference of condition stability and that the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “enough motive” for your media to show it.
A whole new board and administration has considering the fact that taken above the NLC and Up to now have taken measures to end corruption with the establishment.
A Point out Stability Company (SSA) investigation discovered that the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “presented sufficient motive” for exposure because of the media.
The probe into intended “facts protection breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was undertaken following then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote for the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to investigate.
Here's
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at this time suspended NLC firm secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the safety agency’s “private” findings and proposals.
Nevhutanda asked the SSA to analyze the part of NLC staff during the alleged leaking of information, and Nene, in her affidavit determined particular media and stories that she claimed involved these leaks.
Inside the letter outlining its results, the SSA told the NLC that although shielding point out info was “a legal essential aimed toward shielding the sovereignty and integrity of your point out” this only placed on appropriately classified info.
Although it didn't say so right, the SSA results implied which the allegedly leaked information and facts did not fall into this classification.
Drastically, the SSA created it distinct that the necessity to shield point out details “does not avert any person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminal activity”.
The SSA investigation found that the NLC facts involved in the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in nature, but not categorized concerning the prescripts of the Minimal Details Safety Expectations (Miss out on)”.
“The leakage on the suitable sensitive official NLC information and facts towards the media isn't going to pose a danger to nationwide protection,” the SSA stated, including that the effect in the breaches was reputational.
The SSA report identified “no evidence of the factual and incriminating character in opposition to any of the suspected NLC workforce which could be determined from the knowledge and information interrogated”.
What's more, it said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities within the NLC and at its beneficiaries does deliver enough motive to obtain these types of exposed in the media”.
Conspiracy statements
In 2020, Nevhutanda told MPs during a session of Parliament’s trade, marketplace and Level of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” through which information and facts “stolen” from your NLC was sent to the US, where by he claimed it absolutely was staying offered to fund a smear campaign from the NLC.
He was repeating related claims he experienced Formerly made in Parliament, which involved ad hominem assaults on GroundUp which reporter but was watchful not to call either.
“I came in this article On this August dwelling final 12 months and claimed to honourable members that details about our beneficiaries has long been stolen and set in a single point out in the usa,” he told MPs.
“We known as within the State Security Company to return take a look at the make any difference because we've been finding studies that our details is producing money for media platforms and journalists,” he claimed. “There's been talk, certainly from one particular resource, one particular media, that spoke much about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda explained (referring to GroundUp), but didn't inform MPs the SSA investigation were completed Virtually a 12 months before.
Proactive funding was at the guts of the looting from the lottery. It side-stepped the conventional grant approach. The NLC could by itself discover a job to fund and appoint a non-gain organisation to supervise it.
Soon after Nevhutanda 1st advised Parliament in 2018 that he had questioned the SSA to research the supposed breach, the South African Countrywide Editors Forum issued a press release expressing that his remarks reflected “an incredibly unsafe Mindset where by the media is currently being blamed for the NLC’s inherent troubles”.
“Instead of investigating why thousands and thousands can not be accounted for, the NLC has as an alternative attempted to Solid question over the integrity of the journalists concerned and it has questioned the SSA to investigate their sources.”
Proactive initiatives produced mystery
Stability flaws identified inside the NLC grant funding technique during the SSA’s investigation, appear to have already been utilised as an excuse through the NLC to get rid of 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 ‘top secret’ and initiatives ended up removed from the grant funding system and preserved manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Information Business, Government Supervisor Legal so as to safeguard [the] details,” Nene reported in her affidavit.
“There was a great deal of interior discussion, with a lot of forwards and backwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a source, who was within a senior situation within the NLC at the time, informed GroundUp. “Ultimately, the decision was taken to remove each of the proactive assignments through the technique and limit access to A few people today”.
Some in that handful of folks have been implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned from your NLC numerous many years back, has become implicated in corruption involving lottery funds. He been given R4.3-million from lottery resources allocated to develop a library and museum sophisticated in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural New music and Arts Expo) which he employed to make a residence within an upmarket gated growth in Pretoria. The property is among quite a few compensated for with lottery cash that were frozen once the Asset Forfeiture Unit obtained a preservation purchase in December 2022.
The politically-connected Nevhutanda, who was appointed given that the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near significant-ups from the ANC leadership, former NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main operating officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated from the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their look at.
Also implicated are former board customers William Huma, who resigned just after he was confronted with evidence of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who may have given that died.
Each time a new administration, including the overall board and executive, took above with the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they found out a “chaotic mess” in the documentation associated with proactive funding, Substantially of which was paper-primarily based. Important documents were lacking. Data files held for safekeeping by doc storage company Metrofile were signed out and under no circumstances returned.
The NLC was ready to Get well copies of some ตรวจ สลากกินแบ่ง รัฐบาล files from its Mimecast e mail archiving process along with the laptops of their assistants and support team.
News experiences
In his 1 December 2018 letter, addressed to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has pointed out with grave problem probable data security breaches plus the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private details attained due to executing Formal capabilities while in the Fee by NLC staff members. The functions are intended to undermine the integrity of your Commission though disrupting the powerful capabilities [in the NLC] and resulting in insurmountable reputational hurt to your Fee since the custodian of non-public details entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His request for the SSA to analyze was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC company secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is at present experiencing a disciplinary inquiry just after she was unsuccessful in authorized action to put aside results of irregular expenditure on her observe.
The purpose of her affidavit, Nene said, was “to history the events which transpired relating to information and facts safety breaches at the National Lotteries Fee”.
She detailed numerous information experiences which she claimed were the outcome of those “breaches” (see at the end of this informative article).
Nene said that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that considered one of its staff, Sello Qhino, had “offered her labeled NLC Information and facts and persistently inspired her to offer the knowledge to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle on the series of dodgy lottery-funded projects in Kuruman following tries to boost The problem internally ended up disregarded, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an 18 November 2018 short article during the Day by day Dispatch concerning the misappropriation of Lottery resources, Nene claimed that the NLC identified after which you can suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an staff while in the NLC’s East London Place of work, who was the lover and the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s a few kids.
Rungqu and Makatse feel Rungqu was punished mainly because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, Together with the NLC paying R470,000 on lawyers to represent it, but was uncovered not guilty and permitted to return to work.
“The typical Think about these articles is usually that [they include] classified data associated with proactive funding initiatives,” Nene said in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out from the household household to go ahead and take warmth off her and his young children. Struggling with homelessness, he moved into an office within an vacant manufacturing unit belonging to a colleague.
Both of those Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation course of action intended to recognise the harm some people experienced in the arms with the NLC. Apologies and, sometimes, monetary payment are expected.
“Some men and women had been seriously affected quite negatively by this … This is actually agonizing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz explained to the Every day Maverick previous 12 months.
“I fulfilled two or three these people. It was just so coronary heart-wrenching that their full life are actually turned the other way up,” claimed Scholtz.
Between People she satisfied had been Qhino and Makatse.
Safe System necessary for whistleblowers
The SSA discovered the absence at some time of a correct channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show on the media.
“Failure to possess a devoted anti-corruption channel will bring about staff presenting such scenarios beyond the NLC,” the SSA mentioned in its results.
“Specified the magnitude of corruption in state institutions, it remains critical that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all protection prescripts Which its aim is on making sure that unlawful and irregular perform is sufficiently mitigated in opposition to and by guaranteeing an ample channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out without having getting intimidated.”
It suggested which the NLC create a “Risk-free channel” for employees to offer information on any “untoward exercise” that might not prevent or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, dependant on the Safeguarded Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is really a prerequisite.”
Media reports Nene detailed
A ten December 2017 report in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Wellness and Conditioning Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored intently with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and operator of your Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The article experienced features of data not out there in the general public area, therefore increasing worry on inside Data safety breaches. The allegations inside the media were independently investigated,” Nene reported. “On the other hand, personnel liable for divulging classified facts have however to generally be recognized”;
A 28 January 2018 short article published with the Dally Dispatch “citing numerous allegations from your Limpopo Mirror short article published on 10 December 2017 along with a new allegation associated with a former worker with the title of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed for your threat brought on towards the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 posting from the Lowvelder with regard to the misappropriation of NLC cash involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has documented how, Despite obtaining R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been concluded. “The Lowvelder write-up contained categorised data when it comes to NLC coverage, boosting more fears of internal data stability breaches,” Nene stated in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence regarding these allegations did not warrant an impartial Investigation, on the other hand [it] highlighted the heightened information security risks within the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Most important Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene claimed GroundUp had confirmed in its Tale that it had been depending on leaked NLC documents. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Marketing of Usage of Facts) request for details about the job, she mentioned