South Africa’s whistleblowers are no longer suffering alone.
At least 22 people who lifted the lid on corruption at their workplace have come together under the banner, Whistleblowers for Change to call for a fundamental reform of the Protected Disclosures Act (PDA), among other things.
The Mail & Guardian previously reported that one of the criticisms of the Act is the assumption that an employer and whistleblower’s interest are the same; they both want to deal with corruption in the interest of the entity.
It also falls under the scope of the workplace relationship in that protection means preventing “occupational detriment” in which a whistleblower loses their job or status in an entity but fails to recognise other threats that warrant protection, such as assassinations and harassment outside the workplace.
The Active Citizens Movement raised this in its written submission to the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture.
Whistleblowers who had appeared at the commission held a media briefing at the Women’s Jail at the Constitution Hill Human Rights Precinct, Johannesburg, on their calls for law reforms. Chief among these is the introduction of compensation to a whistleblower for loss of livelihoods, income, life savings, pensions and reputations.
Their recommendations include:
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