Lottery bosses turned to Condition Security Agency to investigate leaks

Lottery bosses turned to Condition Security Agency to investigate leaks

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Former National Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the State Stability Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of documents that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s organization secretary at time shown media stories she explained had been determined by “stolen” facts in an affidavit for your SSA.
The SSA did examine. It found the data wasn't a matter of state protection and that the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” with the media to reveal it.
A fresh board and administration has because taken around the NLC and thus far have taken measures to end corruption for the institution.
A State Security Company (SSA) investigation observed the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “presented sufficient motive” for exposure by the media.

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

Here is

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by currently suspended NLC business secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the security agency’s “confidential” conclusions and proposals.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to research the function of NLC employees from the alleged leaking of information, and Nene, in her affidavit recognized unique media and experiences that she claimed involved these leaks.

Inside the letter outlining its findings, the SSA informed the NLC that whilst shielding condition data was “a legal very important targeted at guarding the sovereignty and integrity of your state” this only applied to correctly classified details.

Even though it didn't say so straight, the SSA results implied the allegedly leaked facts didn't tumble into this classification.

Drastically, the SSA designed it apparent that the necessity to secure point out information and facts “does not prevent any individual from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminality”.

The SSA investigation uncovered the NLC details involved in the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in nature, although not classified in terms of the prescripts with the Minimal Information and facts Safety Benchmarks (Overlook)”.

“The leakage of your pertinent sensitive Formal NLC information and facts towards the media isn't going to pose a danger to countrywide stability,” the SSA said, adding that the effect on the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report observed “no proof of a factual and incriminating nature against any of the suspected NLC employees that may be identified from the data and knowledge interrogated”.

What's more, it stated that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities throughout the NLC and at its beneficiaries does give ample motive to acquire these kinds of uncovered inside the media”.

Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda told MPs through a session of Parliament’s trade, business and Level of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” by which data “stolen” within the NLC was despatched to the US, exactly where he claimed it was getting offered to fund a smear campaign towards 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 both.

“I arrived listed here in this August property past yr and documented to honourable associates that information about our beneficiaries has long been stolen and put in one condition in the united states,” he advised MPs.

“We named over the Point out Protection Agency to return investigate the make any difference simply because we're acquiring reviews that our data is making revenue for media platforms and journalists,” he explained. “There was discuss, certainly from one resource, 1 media, that spoke Considerably about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda stated (referring to GroundUp), but didn't explain to MPs which the SSA investigation were done Just about a yr previously.

Proactive funding was at the center of the looting in the lottery. It aspect-stepped the normal grant method. The NLC could alone detect a challenge to fund and appoint a non-profit organisation to oversee it.

Right after Nevhutanda very first informed Parliament in 2018 that he experienced requested the SSA to investigate the intended breach, the South African Countrywide Editors Discussion board issued an announcement stating that his remarks mirrored “a very risky Frame of mind where the media is staying blamed for the NLC’s inherent challenges”.

“In lieu of investigating why hundreds of thousands cannot be accounted for, the NLC has instead attempted to cast question on the integrity of the journalists associated and has requested the SSA to analyze their resources.”

Proactive projects manufactured secret
Safety flaws determined during the NLC grant funding method in the course of the SSA’s investigation, surface to are already applied being an excuse with the NLC to get rid of all proactive-funded assignments from its central grants program.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding projects was heightened to ‘top secret’ and initiatives have been removed from the grant funding procedure and preserved manually under the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Information and facts Office environment, Executive Manager Lawful in an effort to safeguard [the] info,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.

“There was lots of inside dialogue, with plenty of backwards and forwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a source, who was within a senior situation within the NLC at some time, told GroundUp. “In the end, the choice was taken to eliminate all the proactive projects from your method and limit usage of A few men and women”.

Some in that handful of individuals were implicated in corruption.

Maselwa, who resigned from the NLC quite a few many years in the past, has become implicated in corruption involving lottery cash. He gained R4.3-million from lottery resources allocated to build a library and museum advanced in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Songs and Arts Expo) which he made use of to create a dwelling in an upmarket gated progress in Pretoria. The home is one of quite a few compensated for with lottery funds that were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Unit acquired a preservation purchase in December 2022.

The politically-linked Nevhutanda, who was appointed as the NLC board chairperson by former President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was close to large-ups from the ANC Management, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main running officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated while in the corruption which overcome the NLC on their look at.

Also implicated are former board associates William Huma, who resigned right after he was confronted with proof of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who may have since died.

Every time a new administration, including the overall board and executive, took around on the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they discovered a “chaotic mess” from the documentation referring to proactive funding, much of which was paper-primarily based. Essential files were being lacking. Data files held for safekeeping by doc storage company Metrofile were signed out and by no means returned.

The NLC was capable to Recuperate copies of some หวย วัน นี้ documents from its Mimecast e mail archiving system as well as the laptops of their assistants and aid personnel.

Information reports
In his 1 December 2018 letter, addressed to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has noted with grave concern possible information security breaches and the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential info received on account of carrying out official features from the Commission by NLC staff. The pursuits are intended to undermine the integrity with the Fee even though disrupting the effective features [in the NLC] and leading to insurmountable reputational hurt to the Commission because the custodian of non-public details entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

His ask for for your SSA to analyze was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC business secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.

Nene is presently struggling with a disciplinary inquiry following she was unsuccessful in authorized motion to put aside conclusions of irregular expenditure on her enjoy.

The objective of her affidavit, Nene mentioned, was “to file the activities which transpired concerning information and facts protection breaches for the Nationwide Lotteries Fee”.

She shown many information studies which she claimed have been the outcomes of these “breaches” (see at the conclusion of this text).

Nene stated that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that among its personnel, Sello Qhino, had “presented her categorised NLC Facts and persistently encouraged her to supply the data to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle with a number of dodgy lottery-funded jobs in Kuruman following attempts to lift The problem internally have been ignored, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an eighteen November 2018 short article during the Day by day Dispatch regarding the misappropriation of Lottery funds, Nene said the NLC discovered and afterwards suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an employee while in the NLC’s East London office, who was the associate and the mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three youngsters.

Rungqu and Makatse believe that Rungqu was punished because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and billed internally, with the NLC investing R470,000 on lawyers to represent it, but was found not responsible and allowed to return to work.

“The popular Consider these articles or blog posts is always that [they include] categorised facts associated with proactive funding projects,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out in the spouse and children residence to go ahead and take warmth off her and his kids. Experiencing homelessness, he moved into an Workplace in an empty manufacturing facility belonging to a buddy.

Both of those Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation process meant to recognise the hurt some individuals suffered at the arms of your NLC. Apologies and, occasionally, economical payment are anticipated.

“Some people were definitely influenced extremely negatively by this … This is really agonizing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz informed the Daily Maverick previous year.

“I satisfied a couple of these men and women. It absolutely was just so heart-wrenching that their entire lives are actually turned upside down,” explained Scholtz.

Between those she met had been Qhino and Makatse.

Risk-free platform essential for whistleblowers
The SSA observed the absence at enough time of a suitable channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn for the media.

“Failure to have a focused anti-corruption channel will bring about staff members presenting these situations outside of the NLC,” the SSA reported in its results.

“Offered the magnitude of corruption in point out institutions, it stays essential that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all security prescripts and that its aim is on making certain that unlawful and irregular perform is adequately mitigated in opposition to and by guaranteeing an adequate channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward conduct devoid of being intimidated.”

It suggested that the NLC set up a “Risk-free channel” for employees to supply information on any “untoward activity” that would not stop or discourage workers from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, based on the Protected Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, can be a necessity.”

Media reports Nene mentioned
A 10 December 2017 report in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and fitness and Exercise Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked carefully with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and operator from the Limpopo Mirror, to reveal NLC corruption. “The article had things of data not obtainable in the general public area, thus boosting concern on internal Data protection breaches. The allegations during the media were being independently investigated,” Nene said. “Nevertheless, staff answerable for divulging categorized details have but to become discovered”;
A 28 January 2018 short article revealed from the Dally Dispatch “citing numerous allegations with the Limpopo Mirror write-up published on 10 December 2017 and a new allegation regarding a previous employee because of the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed to the menace caused for the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 short article in the Lowvelder in regards to the misappropriation of NLC cash involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has described how, Regardless of obtaining R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has not been finished. “The Lowvelder write-up contained categorized info when it comes to NLC plan, increasing more issues of interior data security breaches,” Nene reported in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence with regards to these allegations did not warrant an impartial Investigation, nevertheless [it] highlighted the heightened facts security challenges throughout the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Key Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene said GroundUp had confirmed in its story that it was determined by leaked NLC paperwork. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Marketing of Entry to Facts) ask for for information with regard to the challenge, she reported

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