Lottery bosses turned to State Stability Company to analyze leaks
Lottery bosses turned to State Stability Company to analyze leaks
Blog Article
Former Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda requested the Condition Protection Company (SSA) in December 2018 to research the leaking of paperwork that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s enterprise secretary at some time listed media reports she stated were determined by “stolen” details in an affidavit with the SSA.
The SSA did examine. It identified the information was not a make a difference of point out safety and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” with the media to expose it.
A completely new board and management has since taken in excess of the NLC and Up to now have taken measures to end corruption for the establishment.
A Point out Security Agency (SSA) investigation located the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “delivered enough motive” for publicity via the media.
The probe into meant “information security breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was carried out immediately 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 currently suspended NLC enterprise secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the security company’s “confidential” results and recommendations.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to investigate the job of NLC staff within the alleged leaking of information, and Nene, in her affidavit discovered specific media and reports that she claimed associated these leaks.
In the letter outlining its findings, the SSA informed the NLC that while safeguarding condition facts was “a authorized crucial aimed at safeguarding the sovereignty and integrity of your state” this only applied to appropriately categorised information.
Although it didn't say so immediately, the SSA results implied the allegedly leaked details did not tumble into this class.
Considerably, the SSA made it distinct that the necessity to safeguard condition information “would not protect against any unique from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.
The SSA investigation uncovered that the NLC information involved with the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in nature, but not labeled with regards to the prescripts in the Minimum Data Safety Standards (Skip)”.
“The leakage in the applicable delicate Formal NLC information to the media does not pose a threat to countrywide protection,” the SSA mentioned, adding which the impression in the breaches was reputational.
The SSA report discovered “no proof of a factual and incriminating character against any with the suspected NLC staff that may be determined from the information and knowledge interrogated”.
Additionally, it said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities in the NLC and at its beneficiaries does offer ample motive to own such exposed within the media”.
Conspiracy claims
In 2020, Nevhutanda informed MPs for the duration of a session of Parliament’s trade, marketplace and competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” by which info “stolen” in the NLC was despatched to your US, wherever he claimed it had been becoming bought to fund a smear campaign against the NLC.
He was repeating identical statements he experienced previously built in Parliament, which incorporated advert hominem attacks on GroundUp and this reporter but was very careful not to name both.
“I arrived here In this particular August dwelling final 12 months and described to honourable users that information about our beneficiaries is stolen and place in one condition in America,” he informed MPs.
“We named over the State Safety Agency to return take a look at the make any difference for the reason that we've been finding stories that our facts is creating dollars for media platforms and journalists,” he claimed. “There was chat, needless to say from 1 supply, 1 media, that spoke Considerably about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda stated (referring to GroundUp), but didn't inform MPs which the SSA investigation had been done Nearly a yr before.
Proactive funding was at the heart in the looting with the lottery. It side-stepped the normal grant approach. The NLC could by itself establish a job to fund and appoint a non-profit organisation to supervise it.
Just after Nevhutanda to start with explained to Parliament in 2018 that he experienced questioned the SSA to investigate the meant breach, the South African Countrywide Editors Forum issued a statement saying that his remarks mirrored “a very risky Angle where the media is remaining blamed to the NLC’s inherent issues”.
“Rather than investigating why thousands and thousands cannot be accounted for, the NLC has in its place tried to Solid question around the integrity of your journalists concerned and it has asked the SSA to investigate their resources.”
Proactive projects designed top secret
Stability flaws identified within the NLC grant funding system in the SSA’s investigation, appear to are already used being an justification via the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded tasks from its central grants method.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding assignments was heightened to ‘mystery’ and projects were being removed from the grant funding procedure and managed manually underneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Data Place of work, Executive Supervisor Authorized so as to safeguard [the] facts,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.
“There was many inside dialogue, with lots of forwards and backwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was within a senior place within the NLC at the time, informed GroundUp. “Ultimately, the decision was taken to eliminate the many proactive assignments from your system and limit entry to a handful of folks”.
Some in that handful of men and women were being implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned in the NLC numerous many years back, has been implicated in corruption involving lottery resources. He gained R4.three-million from lottery cash allocated to create a library and museum elaborate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Music and Arts Expo) which he made use of to develop a residence within an upmarket gated growth in Pretoria. The home is one of a number of compensated for with lottery funds which were frozen following the Asset Forfeiture Device obtained a preservation buy in December 2022.
The politically-related Nevhutanda, who was appointed since the NLC board chairperson by former President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near to substantial-ups from the ANC Management, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main running officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated during the corruption which confused the NLC on their observe.
Also implicated are former board members William Huma, who resigned soon after he was confronted with evidence of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who's got because died.
Each time a new administration, including the overall board and executive, took in excess of on the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they discovered a “chaotic mess” from the documentation relating to proactive funding, much of which was paper-dependent. Important paperwork had been missing. Information held for safekeeping by document storage corporation Metrofile had been signed out and never ever returned.
The NLC was able to Get better copies of some หวย ออก documents from its Mimecast e-mail archiving program plus the laptops in their assistants and help staff members.
Information studies
In his 1 December 2018 letter, addressed to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has noted with grave issue doable facts security breaches plus the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential facts obtained due to carrying out official features from the Fee by NLC staff. The functions are meant to undermine the integrity of the Fee whilst disrupting the productive features [with the NLC] and resulting in insurmountable reputational damage to your Commission since the custodian of personal information entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His ask for for that SSA to research was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC company secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is now experiencing a disciplinary inquiry immediately after she was unsuccessful in legal action to put aside findings of irregular expenditure on her enjoy.
The objective of her affidavit, Nene reported, was “to file the occasions which transpired regarding info safety breaches within the Countrywide Lotteries Fee”.
She detailed several information experiences which she claimed were the outcome of these “breaches” (see at the end of this information).
Nene reported that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that certainly one of its workers, Sello Qhino, experienced “delivered her categorised NLC Information and facts and persistently encouraged her to supply the data to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle over a series of dodgy lottery-funded initiatives in Kuruman soon after attempts to raise The difficulty internally were overlooked, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an eighteen November 2018 report in the Everyday Dispatch concerning the misappropriation of Lottery money, Nene claimed which the NLC discovered and afterwards suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an staff within the NLC’s East London Place of work, who was the associate plus the mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three kids.
Rungqu and Makatse feel Rungqu was punished since Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and billed internally, Along with the NLC shelling out R470,000 on lawyers to stand for it, but was observed not guilty and allowed to return to operate.
“The widespread factor in these article content is always that [they involve] categorized facts concerning proactive funding tasks,” Nene explained in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out of your family members property to take the heat off her and his youngsters. Struggling with homelessness, he moved into an Business within an vacant manufacturing facility belonging to a buddy.
The two Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation method meant to recognise the damage many people experienced on the arms in the NLC. Apologies and, occasionally, fiscal payment are expected.
“Some men and women were being actually influenced very negatively by this … This is absolutely agonizing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz explained to the Every day Maverick previous 12 months.
“I achieved a few these folks. It was just so heart-wrenching that their entire lives happen to be turned the other way up,” mentioned Scholtz.
Among Individuals she satisfied were Qhino and Makatse.
Secure System necessary for whistleblowers
The SSA uncovered the absence at enough time of a correct channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show to your media.
“Failure to have a dedicated anti-corruption channel will end in personnel presenting these types of situations outside of the NLC,” the SSA claimed in its findings.
“Offered the magnitude of corruption in state institutions, it stays essential that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all security prescripts and that its concentration is on making certain that illegal and irregular conduct is sufficiently mitigated versus and by ensuring an satisfactory channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward conduct devoid of being intimidated.”
It suggested that the NLC establish a “Safe and sound channel” for workers to provide information on any “untoward exercise” that might not prevent or discourage workforce from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, according to the Shielded Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, is usually a prerequisite.”
Media reports Nene shown
A ten December 2017 report inside the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and Health Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored intently with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and proprietor from the Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The write-up had aspects of knowledge not available in the public domain, therefore elevating problem on inner Data protection breaches. The allegations during the media had been independently investigated,” Nene claimed. “However, employees liable for divulging classified data have still for being identified”;
A 28 January 2018 short article published because of the Dally Dispatch “citing many allegations from the Limpopo Mirror write-up released on 10 December 2017 as well as a new allegation relating to a former worker via the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed with the menace prompted for the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 post inside the Lowvelder about 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 hasn't been concluded. “The Lowvelder write-up contained classified data when it comes to NLC policy, increasing additional problems of internal facts security breaches,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regards to these allegations didn't warrant an impartial Investigation, however [it] highlighted the heightened info safety hazards inside the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Primary 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 (Promotion of Usage of Facts) request for particulars concerning the project, she claimed