Since Babita Deokaran's murder, the Presidency says there are plans ready for submitting to Cabinet to help whistleblowers. But whether these will work is yet to be known.
JOHANNESBURG - A year after Babita Deokaran’s murder, the Presidency says a new plan to strengthen government's approach to whistleblowers is ready to be submitted to Cabinet.
Deokaran’s killing exposed the gaps and weaknesses in the systems and policies currently in place to protect whistleblowers in South Africa - prompting calls from the public at large, civil society and even President Cyril Ramaphosa himself for tighter safety and security.
READ: 'A hero and legend': a year later, Babita Deokaran's family is still grieving
A week after her death, Ramaphosa in his weekly newsletter described it as “a stark reminder of the high stakes involved” in trying to root out corruption.
He said when whistleblowers spoke out, it was with the “reasonable expectation not only that action will be taken on their disclosures, but that they will be protected and not suffer victimisation or prejudice”.
“It is clear that as the fight against corruption gathers momentum, we need to urgently review our current approach not only to witness protection, but also to the broader protection of whistleblowers,” he said.
“While numerous systems are in place to enable whistleblowers to report wrongdoing anonymously, we need to tighten up existing systems and provide greater support to those who publicly come forward with...
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