In the past couple of months, we have constantly called for support and protection of whistleblowers in our country.
Our call was sparked by the killing of the people who report corruption and fraud in state institutions and within the private sector, which also led to others fleeing the country for safety.
We reported on Gauteng health department acting financial officer Babita Deokaran who was shot dead outside her home in Mondeor, Johannesburg, in August. She was a key witness in alleged fraud relating to a R300m tender for personal protective equipment (PPE) in the province.
In July, we covered the death of deputy national police commissioner for crime detection, Lt-Gen Sindile Mfazi, who was initially believed to have succumbed to Covid-19- related complications. However, News24 reported in November that Mfazi had apparently been poisoned with a toxic resin; his death is being probed by a team of specialised investigators.
He was investigating alleged irregularities around the procurement of PPE worth about R1.6bn at the time of his death.
Another corruption whistleblower, Athol Williams, fled the country in November as he believed his life was in danger. At the time, he said he was “forced to leave SA” without his family and was in hiding. He had testified against consulting firm Bain & Company at the state capture commission of inquiry last year.
As these dominated the headlines we called for state-funded security for the brave men and women who play such an important role in our society. After Deokaran’s death, President Cyril Ramaphosa said laws and policies needed to be amended to support and protect whistleblowers, an announcement we welcomed.
However, the Zondo commission’s report released on Tuesday has recommended rewarding whistleblowers. It said that a “fixed percentage of monies recovered should be awarded to the whistleblower”. This can only be done if the information given by the witness has been material in the obtaining of the award.
We back this call; it would go a long way in compensating the witnesses and their families after risking their lives doing their public duty. We had initially called on the state to pay for whistleblowers and their families’ living expenses when they go into hiding, we still call for this and for rewarding them.
We owe them that much after risking their lives by revealing wrongdoing in our society.
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