President Cyril Ramaphosa has again commended courageous whistleblowers who took to the stand at the commission of inquiry into state capture. He received part one of Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo’s report on Tuesday, 4 January.

“I wish to thank the many people who gave evidence before the commission, and the whistleblowers who spoke out against wrongdoing, sometimes at great risk and cost to themselves,” he said during a briefing about the report.

The “great risk and cost” to some of these whistleblowers was from the very same state-owned entities (SOEs) — their employers — against whom they blew the whistle.

The preliminary report recommends that the government establish what would be called the Public Procurement Anti-Corruption Agency. The agency must accept information from whistleblowers, develop reports and formulate measures for whistleblower protection and incentivisation.

SAA whistleblowers attacked

The first report highlights how whistleblower channels may have been abused for spurious reasons. Former SAA chairperson Dudu Myeni, for example, may have in fact fabricated whistleblower reports in a bid to target, through suspension or dismissal, employees with whom she was unhappy.

SAA’s general manager for human resources Thuli Mpshe testified at the commission that she received a call from Wayne Duvenage from community activist organisation Outa, who explained that former SAA executive Yakhe Kwinana confessed to him that she would meet Myeni over coffee to...

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