Justice minister Ronald Lamola’s former law firm represented the National Lotteries Commission against whistleblowers, writes GroundUp editors.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola promised at the weekend that more will be done to protect whistleblowers who expose corruption. This is a welcome announcement from Lamola, whose former law firm has in the past represented the corruption-ridden National Lotteries Commission against two whistleblowers in its ranks. Sello Qhina and Mzukisi Makhatse were fired for exposing corruption at the NLC.
Addressing the South African National Editors Forum in Cape Town on Saturday, Lamola said legislation was being amended to further protect whistleblowers. "We are working hard to tighten laws to protect whistleblowers, and we are confident that the media will be important partners in this process. We need to work together to ensure that the government and companies implicated by whistleblowers are held accountable," he said.
Cleared of wrongdoing
Lamola's former law firm, Ndobela Lamola Inc, is the author of three reports on the corruption-riddled National Lotteries Commission which cleared then NLC boss Phillemon Letwaba in 2019 of any wrongdoing. Two successive ministers of Trade and Industry to whom the reports were submitted, Rob Davies, and Ebrahim Patel, found them seriously wanting.
Lamola was a director of the firm when two of the reports were submitted.
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