Lottery bosses turned to Point out Protection Company to research leaks

Lottery bosses turned to Point out Protection Company to research leaks

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Former National Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda requested the State Stability Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to analyze the leaking of documents that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s firm secretary at some time shown media reports she explained were being based upon “stolen” info in an affidavit to the SSA.
The SSA did look into. It uncovered the information wasn't a matter of state security and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “enough motive” with the media to show it.
A completely new board and administration has considering the fact that taken around the NLC and To date have taken actions to finish corruption for the institution.
A Point out Safety Company (SSA) investigation observed that the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “delivered sufficient motive” for publicity through the media.

The probe into meant “details protection breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was undertaken soon after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote to the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to analyze.

Here is

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at this time suspended NLC company secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the security agency’s “confidential” conclusions and proposals.
Nevhutanda asked the SSA to analyze the role of NLC workers from the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit discovered specific media and reviews that she claimed concerned these leaks.

While in the letter outlining its conclusions, the SSA instructed the NLC that even though guarding state facts was “a authorized critical aimed toward protecting the sovereignty and integrity in the point out” this only applied to properly categorised data.

Even though it did not say so straight, the SSA conclusions implied that the allegedly leaked details did not drop into this group.

Substantially, the SSA produced it distinct that the need to shield condition information and facts “would not protect against any specific from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminality”.

The SSA investigation observed the NLC information and facts associated with the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in nature, but not categorised regarding the prescripts on the Least Data Stability Criteria (Overlook)”.

“The leakage from the pertinent delicate Formal NLC data to the media won't pose a threat to countrywide safety,” the SSA said, introducing which the affect in the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report found “no proof of a factual and incriminating mother nature towards any of your suspected NLC staff that can be determined from the data and details interrogated”.

Furthermore, it said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities in the NLC and at its beneficiaries does give sufficient motive to own these kinds of exposed inside the media”.

Conspiracy promises
In 2020, Nevhutanda instructed MPs through a session of Parliament’s trade, sector and Levels of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” during which details “stolen” from your NLC was despatched towards the US, where by he claimed it had been getting bought to fund a smear campaign towards the NLC.

He was repeating very similar claims he had Formerly designed in Parliament, which integrated advert hominem assaults on GroundUp which reporter but was thorough not to name either.

“I came here On this August property very last 12 months and noted to honourable users that information regarding our beneficiaries has actually been stolen and set in one condition in America,” he told MPs.

“We known as around the Condition Security Agency to return look into the subject since we've been receiving reports that our data is building money for media platforms and journalists,” he claimed. “There was communicate, not surprisingly from 1 supply, a person media, that spoke A lot about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda reported (referring to GroundUp), but failed to explain to MPs that the SSA investigation were done Just about a yr earlier.

Proactive funding was at the guts with the looting of your lottery. It facet-stepped the traditional grant system. The NLC could alone identify a challenge to fund and appoint a non-financial gain organisation to oversee it.

After Nevhutanda initially told Parliament in 2018 that he had requested the SSA to analyze the meant breach, the South African Countrywide Editors Forum issued a statement saying that his remarks reflected “an extremely hazardous attitude the place the media is getting blamed for your NLC’s inherent problems”.

“Instead of investigating why millions cannot be accounted for, the NLC has alternatively made an effort to Solid question to the integrity from the journalists included and has questioned the SSA to research their resources.”

Proactive initiatives designed mystery
Safety flaws recognized inside the NLC grant funding program over the SSA’s investigation, appear to have been used being an excuse with the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded assignments from its central grants method.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding initiatives was heightened to ‘secret’ and jobs ended up faraway from the grant funding process and managed manually underneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Information and facts Office, Executive Supervisor Lawful in an effort to safeguard [the] info,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit.

“There was lots of internal dialogue, with a great deal of backwards and forwards, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was in the senior placement at the NLC at enough time, advised GroundUp. “Eventually, the decision was taken to get rid of all the proactive tasks through the technique and limit access to A few people today”.

Some in that handful of individuals ended up implicated in corruption.

Maselwa, who resigned within the NLC several years back, has actually been implicated in corruption involving lottery money. He obtained R4.three-million from lottery cash allocated to build a library and museum advanced in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Audio and Arts Expo) which he used to make a property within an upmarket gated growth in Pretoria. The assets is one of various paid for with lottery cash which were frozen once the Asset Forfeiture Device attained a preservation order in December 2022.

The politically-connected Nevhutanda, who was appointed as being the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near high-ups inside the ANC leadership, previous NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main functioning officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated in the corruption which confused the NLC on their own enjoy.

Also implicated are previous board associates William Huma, who resigned right after he was confronted with evidence of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who's got due to the fact died.

Each time a new administration, including the overall board and executive, took around within the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they discovered a “chaotic mess” from the documentation regarding proactive funding, Significantly of which was paper-centered. Crucial documents had been missing. Documents held for safekeeping by doc storage enterprise Metrofile were signed out and never returned.

The NLC was capable of Recuperate copies of some หุ้น ชอง 9 paperwork from its Mimecast electronic mail archiving program plus the laptops in their assistants and support workers.

Information reports
In his 1 December 2018 letter, resolved to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has noted with grave problem possible data protection breaches plus the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private information and facts attained on account of undertaking official functions in the Fee by NLC personnel. The routines are meant to undermine the integrity with the Commission though disrupting the powerful capabilities [on the NLC] and causing insurmountable reputational damage into the Commission since the custodian of private info entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

His ask for for your SSA to research was supported within an affidavit by suspended NLC company secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.

Nene is at the moment facing a disciplinary inquiry after she was unsuccessful in legal action to put aside conclusions of irregular expenditure on her look at.

The objective of her affidavit, Nene explained, was “to file the functions which transpired associated with facts protection breaches in the Countrywide Lotteries Commission”.

She outlined numerous information reviews which she claimed were being the final results of these “breaches” (see at the end of this post).

Nene stated that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one among its workforce, Sello Qhino, experienced “provided her categorized NLC Facts and persistently inspired her to deliver the information to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle on the series of dodgy lottery-funded initiatives in Kuruman immediately after makes an attempt to boost The problem internally have been overlooked, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an 18 November 2018 write-up while in the Day-to-day Dispatch with regard to the misappropriation of Lottery cash, Nene explained that the NLC determined after which you can suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an staff while in the NLC’s East London Business office, who was the associate and also the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three small children.

Rungqu and Makatse imagine Rungqu was punished because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, Using the NLC paying R470,000 on legal professionals to depict it, but was observed not responsible and allowed to return to operate.

“The frequent Think about these article content is always that [they require] categorised information regarding proactive funding initiatives,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out of your family home to go ahead and take heat off her and his children. Dealing with homelessness, he moved into an Workplace within an empty manufacturing facility belonging to a friend.

Both equally Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation approach meant to recognise the harm a number of people suffered for the fingers with the NLC. Apologies and, in some cases, financial compensation are anticipated.

“Some persons were being really affected quite negatively by this … This is really distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz explained to the Daily Maverick past calendar year.

“I fulfilled several these folks. It was just so coronary heart-wrenching that their whole life are actually turned the other way up,” explained Scholtz.

Amongst those she achieved ended up Qhino and Makatse.

Protected System needed for whistleblowers
The SSA observed the absence at the time of a correct channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to show into the media.

“Failure to have a dedicated anti-corruption channel will end in workforce presenting this sort of scenarios beyond the NLC,” the SSA claimed in its conclusions.

“Supplied the magnitude of corruption in condition institutions, it continues to be very important that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all safety prescripts and that its focus is on guaranteeing that illegal and irregular perform is adequately mitigated against and by making sure an ample channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward conduct without remaining intimidated.”

It advisable which the NLC create a “safe channel” for employees to deliver info on any “untoward exercise” that might not reduce or discourage staff from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers coverage, according to the Guarded Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is actually a prerequisite.”

Media reviews Nene stated
A ten December 2017 report while in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and fitness and Fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored closely with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and operator on the Limpopo Mirror, to reveal NLC corruption. “The write-up experienced things of information not accessible in the general public area, thereby boosting problem on inside Data stability breaches. The allegations inside the media ended up independently investigated,” Nene said. “Even so, staff members answerable for divulging labeled facts have nonetheless to generally be identified”;
A 28 January 2018 post revealed via the Dally Dispatch “citing various allegations in the Limpopo Mirror posting released on 10 December 2017 as well as a new allegation relating to a previous employee because of the name of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed for the menace caused on the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 post while in the Lowvelder in regards to the misappropriation of NLC resources involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has noted how, Regardless of obtaining R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab hasn't been completed. “The Lowvelder write-up contained labeled facts with regard to NLC coverage, elevating even further problems of inside details security breaches,” Nene said in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regard to these allegations didn't warrant an independent Investigation, even so [it] highlighted the heightened information and facts protection hazards within the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Primary Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene mentioned GroundUp experienced verified in its story that it had been based on leaked NLC paperwork. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Marketing of Usage of Details) ask for for aspects with regard to the project, she stated

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