Lottery bosses turned to State Security Agency to investigate leaks

Lottery bosses turned to State Security Agency to investigate leaks

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Former National Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the Condition Security Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to analyze the leaking of documents that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s firm secretary at the time shown media reports she explained were being based upon “stolen” information in an affidavit to the SSA.
The SSA did examine. It observed the data wasn't a make any difference of point out stability and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” to the media to reveal it.
A whole new board and management has considering that taken in excess of the NLC and To this point have taken measures to finish corruption on the institution.
A Condition Security Company (SSA) investigation identified which the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “furnished ample motive” for exposure by the media.

The probe into intended “information safety breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was carried out right after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote into the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to investigate.

Here is

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by currently suspended NLC business secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the security company’s “confidential” findings and recommendations.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to research the purpose of NLC staff members inside the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit identified distinct media and stories that she claimed included these leaks.

During the letter outlining its results, the SSA explained to the NLC that while preserving state facts was “a authorized crucial geared toward guarding the sovereignty and integrity of your state” this only applied to properly categorized details.

Although it didn't say so specifically, the SSA conclusions implied which the allegedly leaked details did not drop into this group.

Considerably, the SSA created it crystal clear that the necessity to guard condition data “won't protect against any particular person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminality”.

The SSA investigation located that the NLC information linked to the alleged breach was “sensitive and privileged in mother nature, but not categorised concerning the prescripts on the Minimal Information and facts Safety Benchmarks (Skip)”.

“The leakage of your pertinent delicate Formal NLC information for the media won't pose a danger to national security,” the SSA mentioned, including the affect with the breaches was reputational.

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

Furthermore, it stated that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities throughout the NLC and at its beneficiaries does give enough motive to own this sort of uncovered within the media”.

Conspiracy statements
In 2020, Nevhutanda told MPs all through a session of Parliament’s trade, business and Level of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” during which facts “stolen” within the NLC was despatched to the US, in which he claimed it had been currently being 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 below In this particular August home past 12 months and reported to honourable customers that information about our beneficiaries has actually been stolen and put in one condition in the usa,” he informed MPs.

“We identified as on the State Safety Agency to come back take a look at the matter due to the fact we have been receiving stories that our information and facts is building revenue for media platforms and journalists,” he reported. “There have been converse, not surprisingly from just one supply, 1 media, that spoke much about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda reported (referring to GroundUp), but did not tell MPs the SSA investigation had been concluded Nearly a calendar year earlier.

Proactive funding was at the center of your looting on the lottery. It facet-stepped the normal grant system. The NLC could by itself identify a job to fund and appoint a non-revenue organisation to supervise it.

Following Nevhutanda initially told Parliament in 2018 that he had requested the SSA to analyze the meant breach, the South African National Editors Forum issued a statement declaring that his remarks mirrored “an incredibly dangerous Angle where the media is remaining blamed with the NLC’s inherent problems”.

“Instead of investigating why tens of millions cannot be accounted for, the NLC has instead attempted to Forged question about the integrity of the journalists associated and has asked the SSA to investigate their resources.”

Proactive projects built solution
Security flaws recognized while in the NLC grant funding procedure in the SSA’s investigation, appear to have already been made use of as an excuse from the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded initiatives from its central grants process.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding jobs was heightened to ‘key’ and jobs were removed from the grant funding system and preserved manually underneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Information Workplace, Government Supervisor Lawful in order to safeguard [the] data,” Nene said in her affidavit.

“There was lots of internal discussion, with a lot of forwards and backwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a source, who was inside of a senior posture with the NLC at time, informed GroundUp. “Eventually, the choice was taken to eliminate all the proactive assignments from your technique and limit entry to a handful of individuals”.

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

Maselwa, who resigned in the NLC quite a few years in the past, is implicated in corruption involving lottery cash. He received R4.three-million from lottery resources allocated to build a library and museum intricate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural New music and Arts Expo) which he utilized to develop a dwelling within an upmarket gated advancement in Pretoria. The property is among numerous paid for with lottery funds which were frozen following the Asset Forfeiture Unit obtained a preservation get in December 2022.

The politically-related Nevhutanda, who was appointed as being the NLC board chairperson by former President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near large-ups inside the ANC Management, previous NLC former Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-Main functioning officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated inside the corruption which overcome the NLC on their check out.

Also implicated are former board members William Huma, who resigned just after he was confronted with proof of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who's got considering that died.

When a new administration, including the complete board and govt, took around within the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they found out a “chaotic mess” from the documentation referring to proactive funding, A great deal of which was paper-dependent. Crucial documents ended up missing. Data files held for safekeeping by doc storage firm Metrofile were signed out and under no circumstances returned.

The NLC was in the position to recover copies of some fox888 documents from its Mimecast e mail archiving program and the laptops of their assistants and assist team.

News reviews
In his 1 December 2018 letter, resolved to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has pointed out with grave issue feasible data safety breaches plus the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private facts attained on account of accomplishing Formal features inside the Commission by NLC workers. The actions are meant to undermine the integrity with the Commission when disrupting the powerful capabilities [on the NLC] and creating insurmountable reputational damage towards the Commission given that the custodian of personal information and facts entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

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

Nene is now dealing with a disciplinary inquiry following she was unsuccessful in legal motion to put aside conclusions of irregular expenditure on her check out.

The goal of her affidavit, Nene said, was “to record the occasions which transpired referring to info security breaches for the Countrywide Lotteries Commission”.

She listed many news experiences which she claimed ended up the outcome of such “breaches” (see at the end of this informative article).

Nene said that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that considered one of its workers, Sello Qhino, had “supplied her categorized NLC Information and facts and persistently inspired her to deliver the data to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle on a series of dodgy lottery-funded assignments in Kuruman immediately after tries to lift the issue internally were disregarded, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an eighteen November 2018 short article during the Day by day Dispatch concerning the misappropriation of Lottery resources, Nene said which the NLC recognized after which suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an employee from the NLC’s East London Workplace, who was the husband or wife along with the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three little ones.

Rungqu and Makatse think Rungqu was punished because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, Along with the NLC expending R470,000 on lawyers to characterize it, but was found not responsible and permitted to return to operate.

“The widespread Think about these articles is that [they include] classified information regarding proactive funding projects,” Nene said in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out of your relatives household to take the warmth off her and his young children. Dealing with homelessness, he moved into an Business in an vacant manufacturing facility belonging to an acquaintance.

The two Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation process intended to recognise the damage some people suffered on the palms on the NLC. Apologies and, occasionally, monetary compensation are expected.

“Some folks have been actually affected pretty negatively by this … This is admittedly distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz instructed the Each day Maverick previous 12 months.

“I met a couple of these people. It absolutely was just so heart-wrenching that their entire life are actually turned the wrong way up,” stated Scholtz.

Between Individuals she achieved ended up Qhino and Makatse.

Safe and sound platform wanted for whistleblowers
The SSA identified the absence at some time of a proper channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn on the media.

“Failure to possess a committed anti-corruption channel will end in staff presenting these cases outside of the NLC,” the SSA said 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 security prescripts Which its target is on making sure that illegal and irregular perform is adequately mitigated versus and by making certain an sufficient channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward conduct with out becoming intimidated.”

It suggested that the NLC build a “Risk-free channel” for employees to offer info on any “untoward activity” that may not reduce or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, according to the Shielded Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is usually a requirement.”

Media reviews Nene outlined
A ten December 2017 report during the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and fitness and Conditioning Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored closely with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and proprietor from the Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The write-up experienced aspects of information not out there in the public area, therefore raising worry on interior Details stability breaches. The allegations in the media have been independently investigated,” Nene claimed. “Nevertheless, staff chargeable for divulging categorised info have but being discovered”;
A 28 January 2018 posting posted via the Dally Dispatch “citing a lot of allegations from your Limpopo Mirror post posted on 10 December 2017 and a new allegation regarding a former worker via the title of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed for your menace brought on on the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 article inside the Lowvelder about the misappropriation of NLC funds involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has noted how, in spite of getting R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has not been accomplished. “The Lowvelder report contained categorized data regarding NLC coverage, raising further concerns of inside data safety breaches,” Nene said in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regard to these allegations did not warrant an independent Investigation, on the other hand [it] highlighted the heightened details stability pitfalls throughout the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Key Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene mentioned 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 Entry to Data) ask for for facts about the project, she said

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