The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) says it is finalising its investigation into the murder of Gauteng health official Babita Deokaran, who was gunned down in 2021 after exposing alleged tender corruption at Tembisa Hospital.

JOHANNESBURG - Are the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioners’ startling revelations enough for President Cyril Ramaphosa to act on Sunday against members of his cabinet who have grievous accusations hanging over their heads? Countless whistleblowers have been sounding the alarm on corruption in SOE’s.

While whistle-blowers are at the frontline in the war against corruption, organisations and activists do not believe enough is being done to protect them and to bring the "masterminds" behind some of their murders to book. 

In corporate governance theory, whistleblowing is presented as a noble act. It is the final alarm bell when internal controls, risk systems and ethics programmes fail to deter wrongdoing. But in practice, whistleblowers often pay the price for their courage.

We can, and must, become a country that not only protects whistle-blowers, but celebrates them. Whistle-blowers are the lifeline of the future of this country and we owe them more than silence.

Whistleblowers in South Africa (SA) have been described as indispensable to the country’s fight against crime.

The South African government is not averse to paying whistleblowers, and the topic remains under discussion, Public Service and Administration Minister Mzamo Buthelezi has said.

In the late 2010s, former South African President Jacob Zuma was exposed for state capture with the notorious Gupta family, costing taxpayers billions wasted dollars. This was exposed by the people who risked their safety to report corruption in state bodies and the contractors working for them. But whistleblowers are often ousted from their jobs and even assassinated. That’s why Cynthia Stimpel, who blew the whistle on the late Dudu Myeni, is walking 700 kilometres across the Cape Camino to raise awareness. FRANCE 24’s team on the ground reports.

Whilst whistle-blowing can be described as one mechanism that can be instrumental in addressing systemic corruption in the continent - it often comes at an immense cost for the whistle-blowers. One South African whistleblower and activist Cynthia Stimpel will be walking 700 kilometres along the Cape Camino to raise awareness and funds for whistleblowers, who face serious consequences for speaking out.

The National Lotteries Commission has begun a reparation process that will lead to apologies to former staff members who were dismissed for being whistle-blowers of corruption at the public entity.