Lottery bosses turned to State Stability Company to analyze leaks

Lottery bosses turned to State Stability Company to analyze leaks

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Previous Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda asked the State Safety Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to analyze the leaking of files that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s corporation secretary at time detailed media stories she explained have been based upon “stolen” data in an affidavit for that SSA.
The SSA did investigate. It uncovered the information wasn't a issue of condition security and that the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” with the media to show it.
A different board and administration has due to the fact taken around the NLC and To this point have taken measures to end corruption at the institution.
A State Security Company (SSA) investigation discovered the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “furnished ample motive” for publicity by the media.

The probe into meant “data security breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was carried out just after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote on the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to analyze.

Here is

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at this time suspended NLC business secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the safety company’s “private” findings and proposals.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to analyze the function of NLC personnel during the alleged leaking of information, and Nene, in her affidavit identified particular media and reviews that she claimed included these leaks.

In the letter outlining its findings, the SSA advised the NLC that even though preserving point out information and facts was “a authorized crucial geared toward protecting the sovereignty and integrity with the condition” this only applied to appropriately categorized details.

Although it did not say so directly, the SSA results implied which the allegedly leaked data didn't fall into this class.

Noticeably, the SSA created it apparent that the necessity to shield condition data “would not prevent any specific from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.

The SSA investigation discovered that the NLC facts involved with the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in nature, but not categorised regarding the prescripts on the Minimal Data Safety Specifications (Miss out on)”.

“The leakage of the appropriate sensitive official NLC details for the media will not pose a threat to nationwide safety,” the SSA explained, adding that the affect on the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report observed “no proof of a factual and incriminating mother nature against any of the suspected NLC employees that would be recognized from the data and facts interrogated”.

It also said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities throughout the NLC and at its beneficiaries does offer sufficient motive to have such exposed inside the media”.

Conspiracy statements
In 2020, Nevhutanda informed MPs through a session of Parliament’s trade, sector and Level of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” through which information “stolen” with the NLC was sent towards the US, wherever he claimed it was remaining marketed to fund a smear marketing campaign against the NLC.

He was repeating very similar promises he experienced Formerly produced in Parliament, which included ad hominem attacks on GroundUp and this reporter but was thorough not to call both.

“I came here in this August house last calendar year and described to honourable members that specifics of our beneficiaries has actually been stolen and put in a single state in the united states,” he informed MPs.

“We termed about the Point out Protection Company to come take a look at the subject due to the fact we've been acquiring stories that our details is generating funds for media platforms and journalists,” he explained. “There was chat, not surprisingly from one resource, a person media, that spoke A great deal about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda reported (referring to GroundUp), but didn't explain to MPs that the SSA investigation were accomplished Nearly a calendar year earlier.

Proactive funding was at the guts from the looting with the lottery. It aspect-stepped the traditional grant approach. The NLC could alone discover a project to fund and appoint a non-income organisation to supervise it.

Immediately after Nevhutanda very first told Parliament in 2018 that he had questioned the SSA to analyze the meant breach, the South African Countrywide Editors Discussion board issued a press release indicating that his remarks mirrored “an extremely harmful Perspective in which the media is staying blamed for your NLC’s inherent complications”.

“Instead of investigating why hundreds of thousands can't be accounted for, the NLC has rather tried to cast question over the integrity with the journalists concerned and it has requested the SSA to investigate their resources.”

Proactive jobs manufactured magic formula
Security flaws discovered from the NLC grant funding technique throughout the SSA’s investigation, show up to are already used as an excuse because of the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded assignments from its central grants procedure.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding assignments was heightened to ‘solution’ and initiatives were being faraway from the grant funding technique and preserved manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Details Business office, Executive Supervisor Legal in order to safeguard [the] information and facts,” Nene explained in her affidavit.

“There was plenty of interior discussion, with numerous back and forth, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was within a senior situation in the NLC at time, advised GroundUp. “In the long run, the decision was taken to get rid of every one of the proactive projects with the process and limit access to a handful of individuals”.

Some in that handful of folks had been implicated in corruption.

Maselwa, who resigned in the NLC quite a few several years back, has been implicated in corruption involving lottery money. He gained R4.three-million from lottery funds allotted to construct a library and museum complex in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Songs and Arts Expo) which he made use of to build a household in an upmarket gated growth in Pretoria. The property is among several paid for with lottery money that were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Device acquired a preservation buy in December 2022.

The politically-linked Nevhutanda, who was appointed given that the NLC board chairperson by former President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was close to superior-ups within the ANC leadership, former NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main working officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated during the corruption which overcome the NLC on their own watch.

Also implicated are previous board members William Huma, who resigned after he was confronted with proof of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who has because died.

Every time a new administration, such as the overall board and government, took above in the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they uncovered a “chaotic mess” while in the documentation regarding proactive funding, Considerably of which was paper-primarily based. Important paperwork had been lacking. Information held for safekeeping by doc storage firm Metrofile were signed out and never returned.

The NLC was in the position to Get better copies of some lottovip files from its Mimecast e-mail archiving process along with the laptops in their assistants and assistance staff members.

News studies
In his one December 2018 letter, dealt with to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has noted with grave problem achievable facts protection breaches plus the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential info obtained on account of accomplishing official functions while in the Commission by NLC employees. The things to do are intended to undermine the integrity from the Fee whilst disrupting the helpful features [from the NLC] and producing insurmountable reputational hurt towards the Fee as the custodian of non-public information entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

His request to the SSA to analyze was supported within an affidavit by suspended NLC company secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.

Nene is at present going through a disciplinary inquiry soon after she was unsuccessful in authorized action to set aside findings of irregular expenditure on her look at.

The objective of her affidavit, Nene claimed, was “to report the gatherings which transpired concerning facts protection breaches with the National Lotteries Fee”.

She shown numerous information reports which she claimed ended up the outcomes of those “breaches” (see at the end of this article).

Nene claimed that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that among its staff members, Sello Qhino, experienced “offered her labeled NLC Information and persistently encouraged her to provide the information to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle on the series of dodgy lottery-funded assignments in Kuruman immediately after tries to boost The problem internally had been dismissed, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an 18 November 2018 report while in the Everyday Dispatch regarding the misappropriation of Lottery funds, Nene reported the NLC discovered and afterwards suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an employee from the NLC’s East London Business office, who was the companion plus the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three young children.

Rungqu and Makatse consider Rungqu was punished simply because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, With all the NLC paying out R470,000 on legal professionals to signify it, but was observed not responsible and allowed to return to work.

“The typical Consider these articles or blog posts is the fact [they require] categorized info relating to proactive funding initiatives,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out of the spouse and children property to go ahead and take heat off her and his little ones. Dealing with homelessness, he moved into an Office environment within an vacant factory belonging to a colleague.

Both Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation approach meant to recognise the damage some individuals suffered with the fingers in the NLC. Apologies and, in some instances, fiscal compensation are anticipated.

“Some folks had been really afflicted quite negatively by this … This is absolutely unpleasant,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz informed the Daily Maverick past yr.

“I met two or three these men and women. It was just so heart-wrenching that their whole life are actually turned the wrong way up,” reported Scholtz.

Between These she fulfilled ended up Qhino and Makatse.

Secure platform essential for whistleblowers
The SSA observed the absence at some time of an appropriate channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show to your media.

“Failure to possess a committed anti-corruption channel will cause personnel presenting these types of scenarios outside of the NLC,” the SSA stated in its conclusions.

“Presented the magnitude of corruption in state establishments, it remains very important that it makes sure 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 enough channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward conduct without the need of getting intimidated.”

It proposed that the NLC set up a “Safe and sound channel” for workers to deliver info on any “untoward action” that could not protect against or discourage workforce from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers plan, dependant on the Secured Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, can be a necessity.”

Media reviews Nene listed
A ten December 2017 report from the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Overall health and Health Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored intently with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and proprietor of the Limpopo Mirror, to reveal NLC corruption. “The post experienced components of knowledge not accessible in the general public area, thereby elevating worry on interior Info protection breaches. The allegations in the media had been independently investigated,” Nene claimed. “However, staff responsible for divulging categorised information and facts have yet to be identified”;
A 28 January 2018 article posted via the Dally Dispatch “citing a lot of allegations within the Limpopo Mirror short article revealed on 10 December 2017 along with a new allegation associated with a former worker by the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed with the danger caused into the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 posting from the Lowvelder concerning the misappropriation of NLC resources involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has documented how, Despite acquiring R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been done. “The Lowvelder report contained categorised info in terms of NLC policy, boosting further concerns of internal details safety breaches,” Nene claimed in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence regarding these allegations did not warrant an unbiased Investigation, nonetheless [it] highlighted the heightened information protection hazards throughout the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a couple of dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Principal Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene reported GroundUp experienced confirmed in its story that it had been depending on leaked NLC paperwork. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Marketing of Access to Facts) ask for for particulars regarding the challenge, she said

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