By Abra Barbier

This is because blowing the lid on corruption and crime could come at a huge cost. This is according to Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi, Minister of Public Service and Administration, speaking at the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group meeting in the Western Cape province earlier this week.

One of the key priorities of this G20 meeting was enhancing whistle-blower protection. Legislation dealing with the protection of whistleblowers is expected to be tabled before Parliament later this year.

Minister of Public Service and Administration, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi says, “Their courage at exposing wrongdoing often come at a significant personal risk. Therefore, enhancing whistle-blower protection remains at the top of our priorities as government.”

On Friday, a witness in a rape and trafficking trial was murdered in her own driveway, in Gqeberha. While there are currently safeguards in place for whistleblowers, in the case of community activist and whistleblower, Pamela Mabini, these safeguards were not effective.

Mabini, a witness in the Timothy Omotoso trial held in the High Court in Gqeberha, was shot and killed in the driveway of her home on Friday.

In 2021, Babita Deokaran, the acting Chief Financial Officer at the Gauteng Department of Health, was murdered for uncovering and reporting alleged corruption linked to the department.

Special Investigating Unit  head, Advocate Andy Mothibi, says the Unit has a focused programme for whistleblowers. But the government is looking at enhancing these protection mechanisms. This will be dealt with in the legislation, which will be tabled before Parliament later this year.

This legislation could also include the remuneration of whistleblowers, which was an integral part of the discussion at the G20 meeting.

Mothibi says, “Some of the other considerations as we do the benchmarks across the world is whether are we not at the stage where we should consider some form of financial incentive to the witnesses, the whistleblowers. This is also part of the process that is underway, and as the Minister says, it will culminate into a bill.”

While this meeting dealt with crime and corruption within the public service, the enhancement of whistleblower protection relates to the reporting of crimes across all crime categories.

--SABC--