Previous Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda requested the Point out Stability Company (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of paperwork that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s enterprise secretary at some time listed media reviews she mentioned have been based upon “stolen” information and facts within an affidavit for your SSA.
The SSA did investigate. It uncovered the knowledge was not a make any difference of condition security and the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” for that media to expose it.
A completely new board and management has since taken in excess of the NLC and thus far have taken measures to end corruption within the establishment.
A State Safety Agency (SSA) investigation observed which the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “provided ample motive” for publicity from the media.
The probe into supposed “info safety breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was carried out after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote to the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to analyze.
Here's
Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at the moment suspended NLC organization 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 employees 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 conclusions, the SSA told the NLC that although preserving point out info was “a legal essential targeted at preserving the sovereignty and integrity of the point out” this only placed on properly categorized details.
Although it didn't say so specifically, the SSA results implied that the allegedly leaked information didn't fall into this classification.
Appreciably, the SSA manufactured it distinct that the necessity to safeguard point out info “doesn't avert any unique from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminal activity”.
The SSA investigation identified which the NLC information and facts involved with the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in character, although not categorized in terms of the prescripts in the Least Facts Protection Requirements (Skip)”.
“The leakage from the appropriate delicate Formal NLC information and facts to the media doesn't pose a menace to national stability,” the SSA claimed, incorporating which the impression of your breaches was reputational.
The SSA report found “no evidence of a factual and incriminating character in opposition to any on the suspected NLC employees that might be identified from the information and details interrogated”.
Additionally, it said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities in the NLC and at its beneficiaries does give sufficient motive to own these types of uncovered during the media”.
Conspiracy statements
In 2020, Nevhutanda instructed MPs in the course of a session of Parliament’s trade, marketplace and Competitors portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” wherein details “stolen” in the NLC was sent into the US, in which he claimed it had been staying sold to fund a smear campaign versus the NLC.
He was repeating very similar claims he had Beforehand manufactured in Parliament, which included advertisement hominem assaults on GroundUp which reporter but was careful not to name both.
“I arrived in this article On this August household last year and noted to honourable associates that details about our beneficiaries has actually been stolen and set in a single condition in America,” he informed MPs.
“We known as around the Point out Protection Agency to return take a look at the subject mainly because we're getting stories that our details is generating dollars for media platforms and journalists,” he mentioned. “There have been discuss, of course from one particular resource, 1 media, that spoke Substantially about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda said (referring to GroundUp), but failed to inform MPs the SSA investigation had been concluded Pretty much a calendar year before.
Proactive funding was at the guts of your looting of the lottery. It facet-stepped the traditional grant course of action. The NLC could alone establish a job to fund and appoint a non-financial gain organisation to oversee it.
Following Nevhutanda first instructed Parliament in 2018 that he had questioned the SSA to research the meant breach, the South African National Editors Discussion board issued a statement expressing that his remarks mirrored “an especially dangerous Frame of mind where the media is currently being blamed with the NLC’s inherent difficulties”.
“Rather then investigating why millions cannot be accounted for, the NLC has alternatively attempted to Solid doubt about the integrity on the journalists included and has asked the SSA to investigate their resources.”
Proactive initiatives designed mystery
Safety flaws identified in the NLC grant funding procedure over the SSA’s investigation, look to happen to be made use of as an justification from the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded projects from its central grants process.
“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding initiatives was heightened to ‘mystery’ and tasks were being removed from the grant funding system and preserved manually underneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Data Workplace, Government Supervisor Legal so as to safeguard [the] info,” Nene explained in her affidavit.
“There was loads of internal discussion, with a lot of forwards and backwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a resource, who was inside of a senior position in the NLC at the time, informed GroundUp. “In the end, the choice was taken to eliminate each of the proactive jobs within the method and limit entry to A few people”.
Some in that handful of men and women were implicated in corruption.
Maselwa, who resigned in the NLC quite a few a long time in the past, has been implicated in corruption involving lottery resources. He received R4.3-million from lottery resources allocated to construct a library and museum complex in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Audio and Arts Expo) which he applied to build a property within an upmarket gated progress in Pretoria. The residence is among a number of paid for with lottery resources which were frozen once the Asset Forfeiture Unit attained a preservation buy in December 2022.
The politically-related Nevhutanda, who was appointed as the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near significant-ups while in the ANC leadership, previous NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main running officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated from the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their check out.
Also implicated are previous board customers William Huma, who resigned soon after he was confronted with evidence of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, that has because died.
Any time a new administration, such as the entire board and executive, took about within the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they found a “chaotic mess” from the documentation concerning proactive funding, A lot of which was paper-primarily based. Important files have been lacking. Information held for safekeeping by doc storage firm Metrofile were signed out and under no circumstances returned.
The NLC was capable of Get better copies of some ตรวจ หวย ผล สลากกินแบ่ง รัฐบาล งวด documents from its Mimecast electronic mail archiving process plus the laptops of their assistants and aid staff members.
News experiences
In his 1 December 2018 letter, dealt with to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has famous with grave issue achievable information and facts safety breaches as well as unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential data attained as a result of doing Formal features during the Fee by NLC employees. The actions are intended to undermine the integrity in the Commission whilst disrupting the successful functions [from the NLC] and creating insurmountable reputational harm into the Fee since the custodian of personal information entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”
His ask for for your SSA to analyze was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC enterprise secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.
Nene is at this time dealing with a disciplinary inquiry after she was unsuccessful in authorized motion to put aside findings of irregular expenditure on her look at.
The goal of her affidavit, Nene mentioned, was “to report the events which transpired associated with information and facts security breaches in the Nationwide Lotteries Commission”.
She detailed a variety of news studies which she claimed have been the final results of those “breaches” (see at the end of this text).
Nene explained that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one among its staff, Sello Qhino, had “delivered her categorized NLC Info and persistently inspired her to supply the data to GroundUp”.
Qhino, who blew the whistle on the number of dodgy lottery-funded projects in Kuruman immediately after attempts to boost The difficulty internally had been overlooked, was subsequently fired.
Referring to an eighteen November 2018 post from the Daily Dispatch in regards to the misappropriation of Lottery resources, Nene said that the NLC identified after which suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an worker inside the NLC’s East London Business office, who was the associate along with the mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three children.
Rungqu and Makatse consider Rungqu was punished for the reason that Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, Using the NLC spending R470,000 on attorneys to signify it, but was observed not guilty and allowed to return to operate.
“The typical Consider these posts is the fact [they involve] categorized facts concerning proactive funding tasks,” Nene explained in her affidavit.
When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out with the family house to take the warmth off her and his children. Facing homelessness, he moved into an Workplace within an vacant factory belonging to a friend.
Both Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation approach intended to recognise the damage many people suffered within the fingers of your NLC. Apologies and, sometimes, financial compensation are envisioned.
“Some folks were being truly influenced pretty negatively by this … This is basically agonizing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz instructed the Daily Maverick final yr.
“I satisfied a few these individuals. It had been just so heart-wrenching that their total lives are actually turned the wrong way up,” reported Scholtz.
Amid those she satisfied were being Qhino and Makatse.
Protected System needed for whistleblowers
The SSA located the absence at some time of an appropriate channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn for the media.
“Failure to have a devoted anti-corruption channel will end in workforce presenting this kind of circumstances outside of the NLC,” the SSA stated in its findings.
“Offered the magnitude of corruption in state establishments, it stays critical that it makes sure that the NLC complies with all security prescripts Which its emphasis is on ensuring that unlawful and irregular conduct is sufficiently mitigated in opposition to and by ensuring an suitable channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out without currently being intimidated.”
It suggested the NLC build a “Protected channel” for workers to provide information on any “untoward action” that may not stop or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers plan, according to the Guarded Disclosures Act 25 of 2000, can be a prerequisite.”
Media experiences Nene mentioned
A ten December 2017 report during the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and Fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored carefully with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner of the Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The report had features of knowledge not obtainable in the general public domain, thus elevating issue on inner Information and facts safety breaches. The allegations during the media have been independently investigated,” Nene reported. “Even so, workforce liable for divulging labeled information have however to get determined”;
A 28 January 2018 posting published by the Dally Dispatch “citing many allegations from your Limpopo Mirror write-up printed on 10 December 2017 and a new allegation relating to a previous worker from the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed for your danger induced towards the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 write-up in the Lowvelder with regard to the misappropriation of NLC money involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has claimed how, in spite of obtaining R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab hasn't been finished. “The Lowvelder report contained categorised info regarding NLC plan, boosting further issues of inner information and facts security breaches,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence with regard to these allegations did not warrant an impartial Investigation, having said that [it] highlighted the heightened details safety pitfalls in the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a couple of dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Principal Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene mentioned GroundUp had verified in its story that it was depending on leaked NLC documents. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Marketing of Access to Information) request for particulars concerning the project, she claimed