Former Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda asked the Condition Stability Company (SSA) in December 2018 to investigate the leaking of paperwork that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s corporation secretary at some time shown media reviews she claimed were based upon “stolen” information in an affidavit for that SSA.
The SSA did examine. It observed the data wasn't a issue of state security and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “enough motive” for that media to expose it.
A completely new board and management has since taken around the NLC and Up to now have taken steps to end corruption on the institution.
A Condition Safety Agency (SSA) investigation discovered which the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “furnished enough motive” for publicity by the media.

The probe into meant “info security breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was carried out immediately after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote to your SSA in December 2018 requesting it to research.

Here is

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by currently suspended NLC enterprise secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the security company’s “confidential” results and recommendations.
Nevhutanda requested the SSA to investigate the purpose of NLC staff members from the alleged leaking of knowledge, and Nene, in her affidavit recognized certain media and reports that she claimed involved these leaks.

During the letter outlining its results, the SSA informed the NLC that while preserving condition information and facts was “a legal vital targeted at guarding the sovereignty and integrity on the point out” this only applied to correctly categorised facts.

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

Substantially, the SSA created it obvious that the necessity to safeguard state facts “will not avert any specific from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.

The SSA investigation located that the NLC data linked to the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in nature, but not categorised regarding the prescripts with the Bare minimum Facts Security Criteria (Overlook)”.

“The leakage of the appropriate sensitive official NLC facts to your media does not pose a threat to nationwide protection,” the SSA stated, including that the influence with the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report observed “no evidence of the factual and incriminating character versus any on the suspected NLC personnel that might be determined from the data and information interrogated”.

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

Conspiracy claims
In 2020, Nevhutanda informed MPs during a session of Parliament’s trade, business and Competitiveness portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” in which details “stolen” from your NLC was sent to the US, where he claimed it absolutely was becoming offered to fund a smear marketing campaign in opposition to the NLC.

He was repeating very similar promises he had Formerly produced in Parliament, which involved ad hominem assaults on GroundUp which reporter but was thorough not to name both.

“I came in this article During this August house very last 12 months and reported to honourable users that specifics of our beneficiaries continues to be stolen and put in a single condition in the united states,” he instructed MPs.

“We termed within the Point out Security Company to come back check into the matter because we have been acquiring reviews that our facts is creating money for media platforms and journalists,” he mentioned. “There's been discuss, not surprisingly from 1 resource, 1 media, that spoke Significantly about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda stated (referring to GroundUp), but failed to notify MPs the SSA investigation were accomplished Just about a calendar year before.

Proactive funding was at the center on the looting with the lottery. It aspect-stepped the conventional grant process. The NLC could itself detect a task to fund and appoint a non-revenue organisation to supervise it.

Just after Nevhutanda 1st told Parliament in 2018 that he experienced questioned the SSA to investigate the intended breach, the South African Countrywide Editors Discussion board issued a press release stating that his remarks mirrored “an incredibly hazardous Mind-set where the media is becoming blamed for the NLC’s inherent problems”.

“As opposed to investigating why thousands and thousands cannot be accounted for, the NLC has rather tried to Forged doubt on the integrity of the journalists involved and it has asked the SSA to analyze their sources.”

Proactive jobs produced top secret
Safety flaws discovered while in the NLC grant funding procedure in the course of the SSA’s investigation, seem to happen to be utilized as an justification because of the NLC to eliminate all proactive-funded projects from its central grants program.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding assignments was heightened to ‘mystery’ and assignments ended up removed from the grant funding method and taken care of manually under the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Data Office environment, Government Supervisor Lawful as a way to safeguard [the] information,” Nene said in her affidavit.

“There was loads of inner dialogue, with plenty of forwards and backwards, about what to do to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was within a senior posture at the NLC at enough time, told GroundUp. “In the end, the decision was taken to remove every one of the proactive assignments in the procedure and Restrict entry to A few people”.

Some in that handful of people were implicated in corruption.

Maselwa, who resigned from the NLC several many years back, has actually been implicated in corruption involving lottery resources. He acquired R4.3-million from lottery money allotted to develop a library and museum sophisticated in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Tunes and Arts Expo) which he utilized to develop a house in an upmarket gated advancement in Pretoria. The assets is one of several compensated for with lottery money which were frozen following the Asset Forfeiture Device acquired a preservation get in December 2022.

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

Also implicated are previous board customers William Huma, who resigned after he was confronted with proof of how he had profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who may have since died.

Any time a new administration, including the entire board and govt, took above in the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they discovered a “chaotic mess” in the documentation referring to proactive funding, much of which was paper-dependent. Key paperwork were lacking. Files held for safekeeping by document storage organization Metrofile had been signed out and never returned.

The NLC was in the position to Get better copies of some สลาก กิน documents from its Mimecast e-mail archiving procedure along with the laptops in their assistants and aid employees.

Information stories
In his 1 December 2018 letter, dealt with to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has pointed out with grave worry achievable facts safety breaches plus the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential information obtained on account of undertaking Formal functions while in the Commission by NLC workers. The actions are meant to undermine the integrity in the Fee even though disrupting the helpful capabilities [in the NLC] and leading to insurmountable reputational hurt to the Fee given that the custodian of non-public data entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

His request with the SSA to investigate was supported within an affidavit by suspended NLC enterprise secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.

Nene is presently experiencing a disciplinary inquiry right after she was unsuccessful in authorized motion to put aside conclusions of irregular expenditure on her look at.

The objective of her affidavit, Nene claimed, was “to history the functions which transpired concerning details safety breaches on the Countrywide Lotteries Fee”.

She shown many news experiences which she claimed ended up the results of such “breaches” (see at the conclusion of this text).

Nene said that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that one among its workforce, Sello Qhino, experienced “provided her categorised NLC Facts and persistently encouraged her to deliver the knowledge to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle with a series of dodgy lottery-funded jobs in Kuruman just after makes an attempt to raise The problem internally have been dismissed, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an eighteen November 2018 report within the Day by day Dispatch with regards to the misappropriation of Lottery funds, Nene explained which the NLC identified and afterwards suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an employee while in the NLC’s East London office, who was the spouse along with the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s 3 little ones.

Rungqu and Makatse consider Rungqu was punished due to the fact Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, With all the NLC shelling out R470,000 on attorneys to depict it, but was identified not guilty and permitted to return to operate.

“The popular Think about these content is the fact [they entail] classified facts associated with proactive funding projects,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out from the household home 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 buddy.

Both of those Makatse and Qhino are participating in an NLC reparation method meant to recognise the harm a number of people endured with the fingers from the NLC. Apologies and, occasionally, money compensation are expected.

“Some people were definitely influenced really negatively by this … This is actually painful,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz advised the Every day Maverick very last year.

“I achieved several these people today. It was just so heart-wrenching that their complete life have been turned upside down,” mentioned Scholtz.

Amongst People she satisfied had been Qhino and Makatse.

Safe and sound System wanted for whistleblowers
The SSA observed 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 focused anti-corruption channel will end in personnel presenting these kinds of situations beyond the NLC,” the SSA claimed in its findings.

“Specified the magnitude of corruption in condition establishments, it remains critical that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all security prescripts and that its target is on guaranteeing that unlawful and irregular perform is sufficiently mitigated towards and by guaranteeing an suitable channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward perform without becoming intimidated.”

It advisable the NLC establish a “Secure channel” for workers to deliver info on any “untoward exercise” that could not protect against or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers coverage, based upon the Safeguarded Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is usually a necessity.”

Media reports Nene stated
A ten December 2017 report while in the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Wellness and Fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked intently with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner on the Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The article had factors of information not available in the public area, thus boosting issue on interior Information stability breaches. The allegations within the media had been independently investigated,” Nene mentioned. “On the other hand, personnel answerable for divulging classified information and facts have nonetheless being recognized”;
A 28 January 2018 post posted with the Dally Dispatch “citing numerous allegations within the Limpopo Mirror post revealed on ten December 2017 in addition to a new allegation referring to a former worker because of the name of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed for the risk brought about into the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 short article in the Lowvelder in regards to the misappropriation of NLC money involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has noted how, in spite of acquiring R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been done. “The Lowvelder short article contained labeled info concerning NLC policy, increasing further problems of internal facts stability breaches,” Nene mentioned in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof regarding these allegations didn't warrant an unbiased Investigation, nonetheless [it] highlighted the heightened data stability threats throughout the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a few dodgy R27.five-million grant to Denzhe Key Treatment, a hijacked NPO. Nene claimed GroundUp had confirmed in its story that it absolutely was based on leaked NLC files. This was despite the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Promotion of Usage of Facts) request for aspects with regard to the task, she stated