Whistle-blowers to be honoured

DEMOCRACY dies in darkness, so every South African who exposes malfeasance and corruption should be honoured, according to NGO Public Interest SA.

This week, the organisation opened nominations for the 2024 Whistle-blowers Awards to honour those courageous people who expose unethical behaviour despite the inherent risks.

Chairperson Tebogo Khaas says in South Africa most whistle-blowers still have to go into hiding. Despite this, he says, they want to publicly acknowledge whistle-blowers through these awards.

“Whistle-blowing has become an integral part of any anti-corruption effort globally, so much so that we actually have to make sure that we centralise whistle-blowing. There are instances where it's necessary to keep the identity of the whistle-blower unknown. But it is inevitable that in most instances, their name or identity will be either disclosed by the felons or it will become known as people access that information through public access of information acts.”

One of the country’s most prominent whistle-blowers was Babita Deokaran, who was killed for exposing corruption in the Gauteng department of health.

Khaas also highlighted the case of Atholl Williams, who fled the country after he testified at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry. “He still remains in exile, he seeks to tell us that the environment is not conducive for him to come back. And so it would be for others who have also taken refuge,” said Khaas.

He said it was easy for people to turn a blind eye even when someone became a victim of crime in public, and that was why whistle-blowers should be protected.

“If you don't speak out, if you don't intervene, it's going to create a culture of impunity, which will become part of society. And because it didn't happen to you today, it might happen to you tomorrow.

“So the sooner you get involved as community members, the better because we should make life difficult for those who are wanting to destroy our democracy.”

This week, Free State-based whistle-blower Patricia Mashale and her husband George were vindicated in court after they were accused of defamation and spreading false allegations. Mashale is a former police employee who exposed corruption among senior officials in the Free State SAPS.

“South Africa has seen unprecedented levels of corruption in recent years, both at the grand scale of state capture through to the petty corruption that millions of South Africans experience in the health, education and police services. Without the brave actions of whistle-blowers much of this wrongdoing would remain hidden. We are excited that these awards provide an avenue to recognise the selfless contribution that whistle-blowers make, and we look forward to reviewing the nominations,” said Khaas.

There are eight categories and nominations for the awards are open until September 1.

Khaas encourages individuals and organisations to submit nominations, saying all forms of whistle-blowing should be recognised and that “nothing is too big or too small.” Nominations can be made at https://publicinterest.org.za.

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