Lottery bosses turned to Point out Protection Company to analyze leaks

Lottery bosses turned to Point out Protection Company to analyze leaks

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Previous Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda requested the Condition Security Company (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of paperwork that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s firm secretary at enough time detailed media reviews she said ended up based upon “stolen” facts in an affidavit for your SSA.
The SSA did look into. It discovered the knowledge wasn't a matter of condition protection and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” for your media to reveal it.
A new board and management has considering the fact that taken more than the NLC and To this point have taken measures to finish corruption within the establishment.
A Point out Safety Company (SSA) investigation discovered which the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “delivered sufficient motive” for publicity through the media.

The probe into intended “info 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 investigate.

Here is

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at present suspended NLC firm secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the security agency’s “private” conclusions and suggestions.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to investigate the part of NLC personnel from the alleged leaking of knowledge, and Nene, in her affidavit determined certain media and reviews that she claimed associated these leaks.

While in the letter outlining its findings, the SSA instructed the NLC that whilst shielding condition facts was “a lawful vital targeted at safeguarding the sovereignty and integrity of your condition” this only applied to correctly labeled facts.

Although it didn't say so straight, the SSA conclusions implied the allegedly leaked details did not fall into this classification.

Significantly, the SSA designed it obvious that the necessity to defend point out data “won't prevent any specific from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminality”.

The SSA investigation uncovered which the NLC info associated with the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in mother nature, although not classified when it comes to the prescripts on the Minimal Details Security Criteria (Overlook)”.

“The leakage from the relevant sensitive official NLC data on the media won't pose a risk to countrywide security,” the SSA claimed, adding the impact with the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report found “no evidence of a factual and incriminating mother nature in opposition to any from the suspected NLC personnel that may be discovered from the information and details interrogated”.

It also said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities in the NLC and at its beneficiaries does offer sufficient motive to acquire this kind of exposed inside the media”.

Conspiracy statements
In 2020, Nevhutanda informed MPs throughout a session of Parliament’s trade, industry and Competitors portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” where information and facts “stolen” through the NLC was sent into the US, exactly where he claimed it absolutely was getting marketed to fund a smear campaign from the NLC.

He was repeating comparable statements he had Formerly built in Parliament, which integrated ad hominem assaults on GroundUp and this reporter but was thorough not to call both.

“I came right here In this particular August household previous year and claimed to honourable customers that information about our beneficiaries has been stolen and place in one point out in the united states,” he told MPs.

“We known as around the Point out Safety Company to return explore the matter mainly because we are having studies that our facts is generating money for media platforms and journalists,” he stated. “There's been communicate, obviously from one particular source, 1 media, that spoke much about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda claimed (referring to GroundUp), but failed to convey to MPs that the SSA investigation had been finished Nearly a year earlier.

Proactive funding was at the heart of your looting with the lottery. It aspect-stepped the traditional grant system. The NLC could itself recognize a task to fund and appoint a non-revenue organisation to oversee it.

After Nevhutanda initial explained to Parliament in 2018 that he experienced asked the SSA to research the meant breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Discussion board issued an announcement expressing that his remarks mirrored “an extremely hazardous Frame of mind where by the media is becoming blamed for that NLC’s inherent difficulties”.

“Rather than investigating why hundreds of thousands can't be accounted for, the NLC has as an alternative attempted to Solid question on the integrity on the journalists associated and has requested the SSA to analyze their resources.”

Proactive jobs made secret
Security flaws identified in the NLC grant funding process throughout the SSA’s investigation, appear to have already been utilised as an excuse through the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded initiatives from its central grants method.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding tasks was heightened to ‘solution’ and tasks were being faraway from the grant funding program and preserved manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Information Place of work, Government Manager Lawful to be able to safeguard [the] information and facts,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit.

“There was a great deal of interior discussion, with lots of forwards and backwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was in a very senior posture within the NLC at some time, told GroundUp. “In the end, the choice was taken to eliminate the many proactive assignments from your system and Restrict access to a handful of people today”.

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

Maselwa, who resigned within the NLC a number of many years ago, is implicated in corruption involving lottery money. He obtained R4.three-million from lottery money allotted to build a library and museum elaborate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Audio and Arts Expo) which he used to create a dwelling within an upmarket gated advancement in Pretoria. The house is among quite a few paid for with lottery funds that were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Unit obtained a preservation order in December 2022.

The politically-connected Nevhutanda, who was appointed as the NLC board chairperson by previous President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near superior-ups during the ANC Management, former NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main working officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated within the corruption which confused the NLC on their own view.

Also implicated are previous board associates William Huma, who resigned following he was confronted with proof of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who's got considering that died.

When a new administration, including the full board and executive, took in excess of at the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they identified a “chaotic mess” during the documentation referring to proactive funding, Considerably of which was paper-centered. Key documents had been missing. Files held for safekeeping by doc storage company Metrofile were signed out and hardly ever returned.

The NLC was able to Get better copies of some fox888 files from its Mimecast electronic mail archiving system as well as the laptops of their assistants and help personnel.

News reviews
In his 1 December 2018 letter, addressed to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has pointed out with grave issue doable facts safety breaches as well as the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private facts acquired on account of undertaking official features in the Commission by NLC employees. The pursuits are meant to undermine the integrity in the Fee while disrupting the powerful capabilities [of the NLC] and triggering insurmountable reputational damage into the Fee as the custodian of personal details entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

His request to the SSA to research was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC business secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.

Nene is at present going through a disciplinary inquiry right after she was unsuccessful in legal motion to set aside findings of irregular expenditure on her check out.

The objective of her affidavit, Nene stated, was “to record the events which transpired relating to facts stability breaches for the National Lotteries Commission”.

She detailed a variety of news experiences which she claimed were the effects of these “breaches” (see at the conclusion of this information).

Nene mentioned that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one among its employees, Sello Qhino, experienced “furnished her classified NLC Facts and persistently inspired her to offer the knowledge to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle on the number of dodgy lottery-funded projects in Kuruman soon after tries to raise The problem internally were being dismissed, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an 18 November 2018 write-up in the Day by day Dispatch with regards to the misappropriation of Lottery resources, Nene reported which the NLC recognized after which suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an employee in the NLC’s East London Office environment, who was the companion and also the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three little ones.

Rungqu and Makatse feel Rungqu was punished mainly 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 common Think about these article content is the fact [they require] categorized information regarding proactive funding tasks,” Nene said in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out on the family members household to take the heat off her and his little ones. Facing homelessness, he moved into an Office environment within an vacant factory belonging to a pal.

Equally Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation course of action meant to recognise the damage lots of people experienced within the arms of your NLC. Apologies and, occasionally, financial payment are envisioned.

“Some persons have been truly afflicted incredibly negatively by this … This is absolutely painful,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz explained to the Day-to-day Maverick last 12 months.

“I achieved several these individuals. It had been just so coronary heart-wrenching that their full life have already been turned the other way up,” said Scholtz.

Amongst All those she achieved were being Qhino and Makatse.

Secure platform required for whistleblowers
The SSA located the absence at some time of a proper channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn towards the media.

“Failure to have a committed anti-corruption channel will end in 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 continues to be vital that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all safety prescripts Which its focus is on guaranteeing that unlawful and irregular conduct is adequately mitigated from and by making sure an sufficient channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out without getting intimidated.”

It encouraged which the NLC create a “Harmless channel” for workers to deliver info on any “untoward action” that might not avert or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers coverage, depending on the Guarded Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is usually a prerequisite.”

Media reviews Nene outlined
A ten December 2017 report inside the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Well being and Conditioning Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked carefully with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and operator on the Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The write-up experienced features of information not offered in the general public area, thus raising concern on inner Facts stability breaches. The allegations in the media were independently investigated,” Nene stated. “Nonetheless, personnel to blame for divulging labeled data have but to become discovered”;
A 28 January 2018 posting revealed through the Dally Dispatch “citing numerous allegations with the Limpopo Mirror write-up posted on 10 December 2017 in addition to a new allegation associated with a previous employee with the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed to the menace caused for the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 short article during the Lowvelder regarding the misappropriation of NLC money involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has documented how, Regardless of getting R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been finished. “The Lowvelder post contained classified information in terms of NLC plan, increasing more concerns of interior data security breaches,” Nene reported in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence with regards to these allegations didn't warrant an impartial Investigation, however [it] highlighted the heightened data stability hazards in the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a few dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Main Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene claimed GroundUp experienced verified in its Tale that it absolutely was based on leaked NLC documents. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Access to Information) request for details regarding the undertaking, she mentioned

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