Deputy Public Protector Adv. Kevin Malunga has joined calls for the consideration of incentives or “bounties” to encourage whistleblowing.<\/p>\n
The Institute of Internal Auditors said on Wednesday (28 January) that South Africa has lost R700 billion to corruption over the last 20 years.<\/p>\n
Malunga said South Africa has not made it worth it for people to whistleblow, given the risks involved. He was speaking at the launch of the Anti-Intimidation and Ethical Practices Forum (AEPF) in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n
He said whistleblowers were often subjected to retaliation, including intimidation, harassment, dismissal or violence at the hands of their colleagues or superiors, making the practice of reporting wrongdoing an unpleasant occurrence.<\/p>\n
Malunga cited, among others, the case of Mpumalanga government official, Jimmy Mohlala, who was shot and killed after lifting the lid on alleged corrupt practices involving a 2010 FIFA World Cup construction project.<\/p>\n
Often, victims of this retaliatory action included financial accounting professionals such as auditors, he said.<\/p>\n
“My simple premise ultimately is that we really have to not made it worth people’s while to be whistleblowers – It is something you do for the love of your country, out of patriotic fervour,” Malunga said.<\/p>\n
The advocate pointed out that some countries added incentives to encourage whistleblowing in the same way the police use the reward system for leads in a criminal investigation.<\/p>\n
Malunga\u00a0suggested that modest amounts of R5000, R10,000, and R50,000 could encourage whistleblowing, depending on the gravity of the offence or extent of the fraud committed against the state.<\/p>\n
Noting that South Africa’s Protected Disclosures Act – a piece of legislation that seeks to protect whistleblowers – was undergoing amendments to address the various gaps identified in the law, Malunga said incentives for would be whistleblowers should be given serious considerations.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the\u00a0African National Congress wants government to remove unqualified people from top municipal jobs, secretary general Gwede Mantashe said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
“Government is called upon to conduct a skills audit and remove those people who occupy positions they do not qualify for,” he said.<\/p>\n
“The ANC must publicly and decisively deal with poor performance and corruption.”<\/p>\n
Mantashe said the ANC wanted to strengthen accountability and political management. He said a history teacher could not be appointed as a chief financial officer, for example.<\/p>\n
Reporting with Sapa.<\/em><\/p>\n R700 billion lost to corruption in South Africa<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nMore on fraud and corruption in South Africa<\/h3>\n