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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Former Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda asked the Point out Safety Company (SSA) in December 2018 to research the leaking of files that exposed lottery corruption.
The NLC’s business secretary at enough time listed media stories she stated ended up depending on “stolen” information and facts within an affidavit for your SSA.
The SSA did investigate. It located the knowledge was not a subject of condition protection and the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “sufficient motive” for your media to expose it.
A fresh board and management has because taken more than the NLC and thus far have taken steps to end corruption at the establishment.
A State Protection Agency (SSA) investigation uncovered the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “supplied sufficient motive” for publicity with the media.

The probe into meant “details stability breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was undertaken immediately after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote towards the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to research.

Here is

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at this time suspended NLC company secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the request, and
the security company’s “private” conclusions and proposals.
Nevhutanda questioned the SSA to research the purpose of NLC team during the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit determined distinct media and reviews that she claimed involved these leaks.

In the letter outlining its conclusions, the SSA advised the NLC that whilst protecting condition info was “a authorized crucial directed at safeguarding the sovereignty and integrity of the condition” this only placed on correctly classified data.

Even though it didn't say so directly, the SSA findings implied the allegedly leaked data didn't slide into this classification.

Significantly, the SSA produced it very clear that the need to safeguard point out data “doesn't protect against any person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.

The SSA investigation identified the NLC details involved in the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in nature, although not categorized with regard to the prescripts of the Minimal Facts Protection Criteria (Overlook)”.

“The leakage of the suitable sensitive Formal NLC facts for the media won't pose a risk to national protection,” the SSA said, incorporating that the impact of your breaches was reputational.

The SSA report found “no evidence of the factual and incriminating character versus any of your suspected NLC staff that would be discovered from the information and info interrogated”.

It also said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities inside the NLC and at its beneficiaries does provide sufficient motive to possess such exposed in the media”.

Conspiracy statements
In 2020, Nevhutanda explained to MPs in the course of a session of Parliament’s trade, field and Competitiveness portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” in which data “stolen” within the NLC was despatched to the US, exactly where he claimed it was becoming offered to fund a smear campaign against the NLC.

He was repeating similar promises he experienced Formerly created in Parliament, which incorporated ad hominem assaults on GroundUp and this reporter but was cautious not to call either.

“I arrived listed here Within this August dwelling previous year and documented to honourable members that information regarding our beneficiaries continues to be stolen and place in a single state in America,” he instructed MPs.

“We called about the Point out Stability Company to return consider the issue for the reason that we are getting reviews that our details is creating funds for media platforms and journalists,” he mentioned. “There's been speak, obviously from 1 resource, one particular media, that spoke Considerably about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda stated (referring to GroundUp), but didn't explain to MPs which the SSA investigation had been done Practically a year previously.

Proactive funding was at the guts from the looting with the lottery. It facet-stepped the normal grant course of action. The NLC could alone determine a task to fund and appoint a non-gain organisation to supervise it.

Following Nevhutanda 1st instructed Parliament in 2018 that he experienced requested the SSA to investigate the supposed breach, the South African National Editors Discussion board issued a press release expressing that his remarks reflected “an especially hazardous Mindset exactly where the media is becoming blamed with the NLC’s inherent challenges”.

“As an alternative to investigating why hundreds of thousands can not be accounted for, the NLC has alternatively made an effort to Solid question around the integrity with the journalists involved and has requested the SSA to analyze their resources.”

Proactive projects manufactured top secret
Security flaws identified while in the NLC grant funding process during the SSA’s investigation, seem to have already been utilised as an excuse from the NLC to remove all proactive-funded projects from its central grants system.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding assignments was heightened to ‘key’ and tasks were being faraway from the grant funding method and managed manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Information Office environment, Executive Manager Lawful as a way to safeguard [the] information and facts,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit.

“There was loads of internal discussion, with a great deal of forwards and backwards, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a source, who was within a senior place with the NLC at enough time, explained to GroundUp. “Ultimately, the decision was taken to remove all of the proactive tasks from your process and Restrict use of A few persons”.

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

Maselwa, who resigned from your NLC quite a few yrs ago, has actually been implicated in corruption involving lottery resources. He acquired R4.3-million from lottery funds allotted to construct a library and museum sophisticated in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Songs and Arts Expo) which he utilised to create a house in an upmarket gated development in Pretoria. The assets is among various paid for with lottery money which were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Device acquired a preservation order in December 2022.

The politically-related Nevhutanda, who was appointed since the NLC board chairperson by former President Jacob Zuma in 2009 and was near to substantial-ups during the ANC Management, former NLC previous Commissioner Thabang Mampane, and ex-chief running officer Phillemon Letwaba, have all been implicated in the corruption which overwhelmed the NLC on their own watch.

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

Each time a new administration, such as the complete board and government, took around in the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they uncovered a “chaotic mess” while in the documentation referring to proactive funding, A great deal of which was paper-dependent. Important files ended up lacking. Files held for safekeeping by document storage enterprise Metrofile had been signed out and hardly ever returned.

The NLC was capable to Get well copies of some fox888 documents from its Mimecast e mail archiving method and the laptops of their assistants and guidance team.

Information experiences
In his one December 2018 letter, dealt with to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has observed with grave worry doable facts protection breaches plus the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential info obtained on account of doing official features within the Fee by NLC staff. The activities are intended to undermine the integrity of the Commission when disrupting the successful features [of the NLC] and triggering insurmountable reputational hurt to the Commission because the custodian of non-public facts entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

His ask for with the SSA to investigate was supported within an affidavit by suspended NLC company secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.

Nene is presently going through a disciplinary inquiry soon after she was unsuccessful in legal motion to put aside results of irregular expenditure on her view.

The purpose of her affidavit, Nene said, was “to history the gatherings which transpired associated with info stability breaches with the National Lotteries Fee”.

She outlined several news stories which she claimed were the outcome of such “breaches” (see at the end of this text).

Nene said that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one among its workforce, Sello Qhino, experienced “provided her classified NLC Info and persistently encouraged her to provide the information to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle with a number of dodgy lottery-funded initiatives in Kuruman immediately after makes an attempt to boost the issue internally were disregarded, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an 18 November 2018 post in the Day by day Dispatch with regard to the misappropriation of Lottery money, Nene said the NLC identified and afterwards suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an employee from the NLC’s East London Workplace, who was the husband or wife and also the mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s 3 small children.

Rungqu and Makatse think Rungqu was punished mainly because Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and billed internally, While using the NLC investing R470,000 on lawyers to signify it, but was discovered not guilty and permitted to return to operate.

“The frequent factor in these content articles is the fact that [they involve] categorised data referring to proactive funding projects,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.

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

Both equally Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation process intended to recognise the harm some individuals suffered on the fingers in the NLC. Apologies and, in some instances, money compensation are anticipated.

“Some people were really influenced quite negatively by this … This is basically painful,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz explained to the Everyday Maverick past yr.

“I achieved several these people. It had been just so coronary heart-wrenching that their entire lives are actually turned upside down,” explained Scholtz.

Among the These she satisfied ended up Qhino and Makatse.

Harmless System needed for whistleblowers
The SSA discovered the absence at the time of a correct channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn towards the media.

“Failure to possess a focused anti-corruption channel will end in staff members presenting these scenarios outside of the NLC,” the SSA said in its conclusions.

“Provided the magnitude of corruption in point out institutions, it continues to be important that it ensures that the NLC complies with all protection prescripts and that its emphasis is on ensuring that illegal and irregular perform is adequately mitigated in opposition to and by making sure an sufficient channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out without the need of becoming intimidated.”

It advisable which the NLC build a “safe channel” for workers to provide info on any “untoward exercise” that would not stop or discourage workers from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, according to the Protected Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is often a prerequisite.”

Media studies Nene outlined
A ten December 2017 report from the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Overall health and Health and fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored closely with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and proprietor of the Limpopo Mirror, to reveal NLC corruption. “The posting had things of data not obtainable in the general public area, thus raising problem on inner Facts stability breaches. The allegations in the media had been independently investigated,” Nene explained. “On the other hand, workforce responsible for divulging categorised data have still to generally be discovered”;
A 28 January 2018 article published by the Dally Dispatch “citing numerous allegations within the Limpopo Mirror write-up published on 10 December 2017 along with a new allegation concerning a former personnel from the title of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed for your menace prompted for the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 short article in the Lowvelder with regard to the misappropriation of NLC resources involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has reported how, in spite of receiving R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been completed. “The Lowvelder article contained classified info with regards to NLC policy, elevating further issues of inside information and facts security breaches,” Nene explained in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof regarding these allegations did not warrant an independent Investigation, nonetheless [it] highlighted the heightened data safety dangers in the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Primary Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene reported GroundUp had confirmed in its story that it absolutely was depending on leaked NLC paperwork. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Advertising of Usage of Info) request for particulars about the venture, she mentioned

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