Last year’s murder of Babita Deokaran, a witness in a R300-million PPE fraud investigation, shocked a country already accustomed to the callous disregard with which whistle-blowers are treated.

Just a year earlier, delinquent director Dudu Myeni spitefully revealed the identity of a whistle-blower, known as “Mr X”, during her testimony at the State Capture inquiry in November 2020, despite being warned by commission chairperson Raymond Zondo against doing so. She is yet to face any consequences and failed to arrive for a scheduled court hearing last week. The case was postponed.

Media groups and civil society have lobbied for an overhaul of whistle-blower regulations, and President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for the state to tighten up whistle-blower protection. Yet change is slow.

Meanwhile, whistle-blowers such as former SAA treasurer Cynthia Stimpel, Sars’ Ivan Pillay, Trillian Management Consulting’s Bianca Goodson, Trillian Financial Advisory’s Mosilo Mothepu, Bain & Co’s Athol Williams and Sars’ Johann van Loggerenberg bemoan the lack of progress as they attempt to rebuild their shattered lives.

Whistle-blowing in South Africa is not for the fainthearted. Ironically this is not because of a lack of legislation.

A new report researched by Just Share, and commissioned by Futuregrowth and Old Mutual reveals that South Africa has an extensive legal regime governing so-called “protected disclosures”. On paper the law stacks up well against the legal frameworks in...

Read Full Story: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-05-22-report-takes-aim-at-loopho...