Former National Lotteries Fee (NLC) board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda questioned the Point out Security Company (SSA) in December 2018 to analyze the leaking of files that uncovered lottery corruption.
The NLC’s business secretary at the time outlined media reviews she mentioned have been based upon “stolen” facts in an affidavit for the SSA.
The SSA did look into. It located the information wasn't a make a difference of point out safety and which the “prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities” gave “ample motive” for that media to expose it.
A completely new board and management has since taken in excess of the NLC and thus far have taken measures to end corruption with the establishment.
A Point out Stability Company (SSA) investigation discovered that the “prevalence” of alleged corruption and irregularities involving the NLC and its beneficiaries “presented sufficient motive” for exposure with the media.

The probe into intended “facts protection breaches and sabotage of NLC operations” was undertaken after then-NLC board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda wrote towards the SSA in December 2018 requesting it to analyze.

Here's

Nevhutanda’s letter,
an affidavit by at present suspended NLC business secretary Nompumelelo Nene supporting the ask for, and
the security company’s “confidential” conclusions and suggestions.
Nevhutanda asked the SSA to research the role of NLC team while in the alleged leaking of data, and Nene, in her affidavit determined precise media and studies that she claimed concerned these leaks.

Within the letter outlining its results, the SSA advised the NLC that though guarding state information and facts was “a lawful crucial directed at preserving the sovereignty and integrity in the condition” this only placed on correctly categorized details.

Even though it didn't say so immediately, the SSA conclusions implied which the allegedly leaked information didn't tumble into this classification.

Appreciably, the SSA made it very clear that the need to safeguard condition info “won't reduce any unique from blowing the whistle on corruption or irregular or illegal activity”.

The SSA investigation identified that the NLC facts involved in the alleged breach was “delicate and privileged in nature, but not categorised with regards to the prescripts with the Least Details Stability Expectations (Pass up)”.

“The leakage on the suitable sensitive official NLC details on the media isn't going to pose a threat to national security,” the SSA mentioned, incorporating which the effect from the breaches was reputational.

The SSA report observed “no proof of a factual and incriminating character in opposition to any of your suspected NLC staff members that can be identified from the data and information interrogated”.

It also stated that “the prevalence of alleged corruption and irregularities within the NLC and at its beneficiaries does supply sufficient motive to obtain this sort of uncovered in the media”.

Conspiracy claims
In 2020, Nevhutanda told MPs all through a session of Parliament’s trade, marketplace and Level of competition portfolio committee that there was “a conspiracy” wherein data “stolen” from the NLC was sent to the US, in which he claimed it absolutely was remaining bought to fund a smear marketing campaign versus the NLC.

He was repeating related statements he experienced Earlier built in Parliament, which included advert hominem assaults on GroundUp and this reporter but was thorough not to name both.

“I came in this article During this August household previous year and claimed to honourable customers that details about our beneficiaries has been stolen and set in a single condition in the usa,” he advised MPs.

“We known as over the Condition Stability Agency to return check into the make any difference mainly because we are having reviews that our data is building cash for media platforms and journalists,” he claimed. “There have been talk, needless to say from one particular supply, one particular media, that spoke Considerably about proactive-funding,” Nevhutanda explained (referring to GroundUp), but failed to tell MPs which the SSA investigation had been finished almost a 12 months earlier.

Proactive funding was at the heart of your looting with the lottery. It facet-stepped the conventional grant process. The NLC could by itself determine a project to fund and appoint a non-financial gain organisation to supervise it.

Soon after Nevhutanda first explained to Parliament in 2018 that he experienced questioned the SSA to analyze the intended breach, the South African Nationwide Editors Discussion board issued a press release expressing that his remarks reflected “a particularly hazardous Frame of mind the place the media is becoming blamed to the NLC’s inherent challenges”.

“Rather then investigating why thousands and thousands can not be accounted for, the NLC has in its place attempted to cast doubt over the integrity from the journalists concerned and it has questioned the SSA to investigate their sources.”

Proactive assignments created key
Protection flaws determined within the NLC grant funding system during the SSA’s investigation, show up to have been utilised as an excuse from the NLC to remove all proactive-funded assignments from its central grants process.

“In or about 21 December 2019, the classification of all Professional-actively funding projects was heightened to ‘secret’ and jobs ended up removed from the grant funding method and managed manually beneath the custody of [Tsietsi Maselwa] the NLC’s [then] Deputy Info Office, Govt Manager Legal as a way to safeguard [the] information and facts,” Nene explained in her affidavit.

“There was lots of inner dialogue, with many forwards and backwards, about how to proceed to plug the alleged leaks”, a supply, who was in a senior placement within the NLC at the time, advised GroundUp. “Eventually, the choice was taken to eliminate every one of the proactive initiatives with the procedure and Restrict access to A few folks”.

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

Maselwa, who resigned from your NLC quite a few a long time back, has long been implicated in corruption involving lottery funds. He acquired R4.three-million from lottery resources allotted to build a library and museum intricate in Kuruman (see Taung Cultural Tunes and Arts Expo) which he made use of to build a residence in an upmarket gated improvement in Pretoria. The home is one of various compensated for with lottery resources which were frozen once the Asset Forfeiture Device attained a preservation order in December 2022.

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

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 may have considering the fact that died.

Every time a new administration, including the overall board and govt, took above within the NLC in late 2022 and early 2023, they identified a “chaotic mess” in the documentation associated with proactive funding, much of which was paper-based mostly. Critical files were being lacking. Data files held for safekeeping by doc storage company Metrofile were signed out and by no means returned.

The NLC was capable of Recuperate copies of some ผล หวย หุ้น paperwork from its Mimecast electronic mail archiving method plus the laptops in their assistants and aid employees.

News studies
In his one December 2018 letter, dealt with to then SSA Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, Nevhutanda wrote: “The NLC has noted with grave problem attainable information and facts stability breaches and the unauthorised use and/or dissemination of private information and facts received because of carrying out Formal features in the Fee by NLC staff. The activities are meant to undermine the integrity from the Fee whilst disrupting the productive functions [with the NLC] and creating insurmountable reputational damage towards the Fee because the custodian of non-public information entrusted to it by its beneficiaries.”

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

Nene is at present struggling with a disciplinary inquiry immediately after she was unsuccessful in authorized action to set aside results of irregular expenditure on her look at.

The goal of her affidavit, Nene reported, was “to record the events which transpired relating to information stability breaches with the Nationwide Lotteries Fee”.

She shown different information reviews which she claimed were being 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 “delivered her classified NLC Data and persistently inspired her to provide the information to GroundUp”.

Qhino, who blew the whistle on the series of dodgy lottery-funded initiatives in Kuruman after attempts to lift The difficulty internally were being ignored, was subsequently fired.

Referring to an eighteen November 2018 short article from the Each day Dispatch with regard to the misappropriation of Lottery resources, Nene explained that the NLC discovered after which you can suspended Zintle Rungqu. She was an personnel inside the NLC’s East London Workplace, who was the husband or wife along with the mom of whistleblower Mzukise Makatse’s three young children.

Rungqu and Makatse think Rungqu was punished for the reason that Makatse blew the whistle. She was suspended and charged internally, With all the NLC paying out R470,000 on lawyers to signify it, but was located not responsible and permitted to return to work.

“The prevalent factor in these content articles is the fact [they require] labeled facts concerning proactive funding initiatives,” Nene claimed in her affidavit.

When Runqu was suspended, Makatse moved out with the household house to take the heat off her and his little ones. Facing homelessness, he moved into an Business office in an empty manufacturing facility belonging to a buddy.

Both of those Makatse and Qhino are taking part in an NLC reparation system meant to recognise the damage a number of people endured in the hands of your NLC. Apologies and, sometimes, economic payment are anticipated.

“Some individuals have been definitely impacted incredibly negatively by this … This is basically distressing,” NLC Commissioner Jodi Scholtz informed the Daily Maverick final 12 months.

“I fulfilled two or three these people. It was just so heart-wrenching that their whole life have been turned upside down,” reported Scholtz.

Amid those she fulfilled were Qhino and Makatse.

Secure platform desired for whistleblowers
The SSA uncovered the absence at time of a correct channel for whistleblowers to report corruption led them to turn on the media.

“Failure to have a dedicated anti-corruption channel will result in employees presenting such cases beyond the NLC,” the SSA explained in its findings.

“Presented the magnitude of corruption in point out institutions, it stays essential that it makes sure that the NLC complies with all stability prescripts Which its emphasis is on guaranteeing that illegal and irregular carry out is sufficiently mitigated versus and by ensuring an satisfactory channel for whistle-blowers to report untoward carry out with no remaining intimidated.”

It advised that the NLC establish a “Protected channel” for employees to deliver info on any “untoward activity” that will not avert or discourage personnel from blowing the whistle. A whistle-blowers policy, based on the Safeguarded Disclosures Act twenty five of 2000, is usually a necessity.”

Media studies Nene stated
A ten December 2017 report during the Limpopo Mirror about corruption and maladministration involving the Lottery-funded Vhembe Wellness and Conditioning Centre in Limpopo. GroundUp has labored closely with Anton van Zyl, an investigative reporter and owner on the Limpopo Mirror, to expose NLC corruption. “The short article had things of information not accessible in the general public domain, thereby boosting worry on interior Information and facts safety breaches. The allegations during the media were being independently investigated,” Nene reported. “However, staff to blame for divulging classified info have still for being determined”;
A 28 January 2018 posting printed via the Dally Dispatch “citing several allegations from the Limpopo Mirror write-up published on 10 December 2017 in addition to a new allegation associated with a previous employee through the identify of Mzukisi Makatse. He was charged and summarily dismissed for the threat brought on towards the organisation.”
A 16 November 2018 post inside the Lowvelder with regards to the misappropriation of NLC cash involving a lottery-funded drug rehabilitation centre. GroundUp has documented how, in spite of acquiring R27-million in lottery grants, the rehab hasn't been done. “The Lowvelder posting contained categorised information concerning NLC coverage, raising further more worries of internal facts security breaches,” Nene claimed in her affidavit. “The prima facie evidence with regard to these allegations did not warrant an unbiased Investigation, nonetheless [it] highlighted the heightened facts security hazards inside the NLC.”
A 22 November 2018 GroundUp expose about a dodgy R27.5-million grant to Denzhe Main Care, a hijacked NPO. Nene stated GroundUp had verified in its Tale that it absolutely was based on leaked NLC documents. This was Regardless of the NLC rejecting a PAIA (Advertising of Access to Details) request for particulars with regards to the job, she claimed