Previous Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda asked the Condition Security Agency (SSA) in December 2018 to research the leaking of paperwork that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s business secretary at time stated media reports she mentioned have been depending on “stolen” facts in an affidavit for the SSA.
The SSA did look into. It uncovered the knowledge wasn't a make any difference of condition security and the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” to the media to expose it.
A completely new board and management has considering the fact that taken more than the NLC and To this point have taken steps to end corruption with the institution.
A Condition Stability Company (SSA) investigation identified that the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “delivered sufficient motive” for exposure with the media.

The probe into intended “info stability breaches and sabotage of NLC functions” was undertaken just after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote to your SSA in December 2018 requesting it to investigate.

Here's

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by now suspended NLC enterprise secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the security agency’s “private” findings and proposals.
Nevhutanda requested the SSA to investigate the job of NLC staff members while in the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit determined particular media and experiences that she claimed concerned these leaks.

During the letter outlining its results, the SSA instructed the NLC that whilst protecting state data was “a lawful essential directed at guarding the sovereignty and integrity on the condition” this only applied to appropriately classified details.

Although it did not say so straight, the SSA findings implied which the allegedly leaked facts did not fall into this classification.

Significantly, the SSA designed it obvious that the need to guard state information and facts “won't avoid any person from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or criminality”.

The SSA investigation found the NLC information and facts involved with the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in mother nature, but not classified concerning the prescripts of the Bare minimum Facts Protection Standards (MISS)”.

“The leakage from the pertinent sensitive Formal NLC information and facts to the media does not pose a danger to nationwide safety,” the SSA said, introducing the influence of your breaches was reputational.

The SSA report observed “no evidence of the factual and incriminating nature from any from the suspected NLC workforce that can be discovered from the information and facts interrogated”.

Furthermore, it said that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities throughout the NLC and at its beneficiaries does offer sufficient motive to acquire such exposed within the media”.

Conspiracy claims
In 2020, Nevhutanda informed MPs for the duration of a session of Parliament’s trade, marketplace and competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” in which information “stolen” within the NLC was sent towards the US, where he claimed it absolutely was getting sold to fund a smear marketing campaign against the NLC.

He was repeating identical statements he experienced previously designed in Parliament, which integrated advertisement hominem assaults on GroundUp which reporter but was watchful not to call possibly.

“I came listed here During this August home very last calendar year and reported to honourable associates that information regarding our beneficiaries has long been stolen and set in a single point out in the united states,” he instructed MPs.

“We identified as about the State Security Company to come back investigate the issue due to the fact we have been receiving reports that our facts is building cash for media platforms and journalists,” he explained. “There has been converse, certainly from one particular source, just one media, that spoke Substantially about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda explained (referring to GroundUp), but did not tell MPs which the SSA investigation had been accomplished almost a calendar year previously.

Proactive funding was at the guts of your looting of the lottery. It side-stepped the conventional grant course of action. The NLC could by itself recognize a undertaking to fund and appoint a non-revenue organisation to supervise it.

Right after Nevhutanda first instructed Parliament in 2018 that he experienced requested the SSA to investigate the supposed breach, the South African National Editors Discussion board issued an announcement indicating that his remarks reflected “an especially perilous attitude in which the media is currently being blamed for that NLC’s inherent challenges”.

“As opposed to investigating why thousands and thousands cannot be accounted for, the NLC has in its place attempted to Forged doubt on the integrity of your journalists concerned and has requested the SSA to research their resources.”

Proactive jobs made mystery
Protection flaws recognized while in the NLC grant funding technique over the SSA’s investigation, show up to are actually applied as an justification via the NLC to get rid of all proactive-funded projects from its central grants procedure.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all pro-actively funding initiatives was heightened to ‘magic formula’ and initiatives have been faraway from the grant funding technique and maintained manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Information and facts Place of work, Government Supervisor Authorized in order to safeguard [the] data,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.

“There was a lot of internal dialogue, with lots of backwards and forwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was in the senior posture in the NLC at the time, informed GroundUp. “Ultimately, the decision was taken to eliminate many of the proactive jobs with the process and limit usage of a handful of persons”.

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

Maselwa, who resigned in the NLC various years in the past, is implicated in corruption involving lottery resources. He been given R4.3-million from lottery cash allotted to build a library and museum intricate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Tunes and Arts Expo) which he made use of to make a dwelling within an upmarket gated progress in Pretoria. The assets is one of numerous paid for with lottery resources which were frozen after the Asset Forfeiture Device received 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 higher-ups during the ANC leadership, previous 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 check out.

Also implicated are former board associates William Huma, who resigned immediately after he was confronted with proof of how he experienced profited from corrupt lottery grants, and Muthuhadini Madzivhandila, who has considering that died.

Any time a new administration, such as the full board and govt, took around at the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they found a “chaotic mess” inside the documentation referring to proactive funding, Significantly of which was paper-primarily based. Key files have been missing. Documents held for safekeeping by document storage company Metrofile were signed out and by no means returned.

The NLC was able to Get well copies of some ตรวจ หวย ผล สลากกินแบ่ง รัฐบาล งวด paperwork from its Mimecast e-mail archiving program along with the laptops of their assistants and support team.

Information reviews
In his one December 2018 letter, tackled to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has noted with grave worry feasible information and facts safety breaches and the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of confidential information and facts acquired due to performing official features during the Fee by NLC workers. The functions are meant to undermine the integrity of the Fee whilst disrupting the successful functions [from the NLC] and leading to insurmountable reputational harm towards the Commission given that the custodian of private data entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

His request for the SSA to analyze was supported in an affidavit by suspended NLC company secretary, Nomphumelelo Nene.

Nene is currently experiencing a disciplinary inquiry soon after she was unsuccessful in lawful action to put aside findings of irregular expenditure on her check out.

The objective of her affidavit, Nene mentioned, was “to record the gatherings which transpired referring to info security breaches within the Nationwide Lotteries Commission”.

She mentioned several news experiences which she claimed ended up the results of these “breaches” (see at the end of this article).

Nene stated that a whistle-blower approached the NLC alleging that considered one of its workforce, Sello Qhino, experienced “presented her labeled NLC Facts and persistently inspired her to supply the information to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle on a number of dodgy lottery-funded jobs in Kuruman right after attempts to lift The difficulty internally have been overlooked, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an 18 November 2018 short article from the Day-to-day Dispatch with regards to the misappropriation of Lottery funds, Nene explained the NLC determined and after that suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an personnel while in the NLC’s East London office, who was the spouse along with the mother of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three youngsters.

Rungqu and Makatse consider Rungqu was punished since Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, Along with the NLC expending R470,000 on attorneys to depict it, but was located not guilty and permitted to return to work.

“The typical Think about these article content is usually that [they entail] categorised data associated with proactive funding projects,” Nene explained in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out of your household dwelling to take the warmth off her and his children. Dealing with homelessness, he moved into an Business office in an vacant manufacturing unit belonging to a colleague.

Both equally Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation method intended to recognise the damage a lot of people endured at the palms in the NLC. Apologies and, in some instances, economical compensation are envisioned.

“Some folks were being genuinely afflicted extremely negatively by this … This is de facto painful,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz informed the Day-to-day Maverick past year.

“I met several these persons. It absolutely was just so coronary heart-wrenching that their total lives are already turned the wrong way up,” explained Scholtz.

Amid Individuals she satisfied had been Qhino and Makatse.

Secure System wanted for whistleblowers
The SSA observed the absence at time of an appropriate channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn to the media.

“Failure to possess a dedicated anti-corruption channel will cause workers presenting these types of situations beyond the NLC,” the SSA stated in its results.

“Supplied the magnitude of corruption in state institutions, it remains critical that it makes certain that the NLC complies with all stability prescripts Which its focus is on ensuring that unlawful and irregular conduct is sufficiently mitigated versus and by making sure an adequate channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward perform without the need of remaining intimidated.”

It proposed the NLC set up a “Secure channel” for workers to supply info on any “untoward action” that will not prevent or discourage staff members from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, based on the Safeguarded Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is actually a need.”

Media reviews Nene stated
A ten December 2017 report inside the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Health and fitness and Health and fitness Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has worked carefully with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and proprietor with the Limpopo Mirror, to show NLC corruption. “The article experienced elements of information not available in the general public area, therefore elevating concern on internal Information and facts stability breaches. The allegations while in the media have been independently investigated,” Nene stated. “Nevertheless, workforce to blame for divulging categorized information have nevertheless to become determined”;
A 28 January 2018 article revealed by the Dally Dispatch “citing several allegations within the Limpopo Mirror post revealed on ten December 2017 in addition to a new allegation relating to a former employee from the name of Mzukisi Makatse. He was billed and summarily dismissed with the danger prompted into the organisation.”
A sixteen November 2018 report inside the Lowvelder with regards to the misappropriation of NLC cash involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has noted how, Despite obtaining R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab has never been concluded. “The Lowvelder report contained classified facts with regards to NLC plan, raising even further issues of inside information security breaches,” Nene explained in her affidavit. “The prima facie proof with regards to these allegations didn't warrant an unbiased Investigation, nonetheless [it] highlighted the heightened data protection challenges throughout the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose a couple of dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Principal Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene mentioned GroundUp had verified in its Tale that it had been depending on leaked NLC documents. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Marketing of Entry to Info) ask for for specifics regarding the project, she claimed