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FOR whistleblower Sarika Lakraj-Naidoo, reporting alleged corruption at the City of Johannesburg came at a devastating personal and professional cost.
She could no longer find work, got rid of most of her belongings, and had to sell her wedding rings to take care of her family. To add to this, she was shot at.
“I suffered the consequences for doing the right thing,” Lakraj-Naidoo told the POST in an interview this week.
The city's former chief financial officer, who recently featured in a segment of the investigative journalism television series Carte Blanche, said she lost her job, livelihood and sense of security after raising concerns about alleged irregularities involving the municipality's multi-billion-rand vehicle fleet, including Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) vehicles and fire trucks.
Lakraj-Naidoo, 56, formerly from Sea Cow Lake in Durban, is now desperately seeking employment.
She said her experience had left her questioning whether whistleblowers were adequately protected in South Africa.
“It's not worth being a whistleblower in the current South African climate. No NPO or NGO or organisation fighting corruption that I went to for help was willing to help. I even sought help for funds to pay for medication for my son and I was turned away,” she said.
Lakraj-Naidoo worked for the City of Johannesburg for 15 years before she was dismissed in June 2023 following disciplinary proceedings. She had faced allegations...
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