WHISTLEBLOWERS, WE HAVE YOUR BACK

Speaking out on corruption can have life-threatening consequences but now a new organisation is offering to support and protect the brave people who come forward

- LESEGO SEOKWANG

IF YOU blow the whistle on state capture, you live in fear.

These are the words of Athol Williams, a former partner at management consultancy firm Bain & Co. He blew the whistle on the company in 2019, testifying before the Zondo Commission about how it had plundered the coffers of the SA Revenue Service (Sars) during the state capture years.

Athol fled South Africa after he received death threats for opening the can of worms and is now living in hiding. Yet although his life has been turned upside down, he is one of the lucky ones.

Babita Deokaran (53), the acting CFO for the Gauteng health department, was shot dead in broad daylight outside her Johannesburg home last year. She’d been a key witness in the investigation into the overpriced procurement of Covid-19 protection clothing, a scandal involving some R330 million.

And it’s precisely because of cases like Athol’s and Babita’s that a new organisation has been launched.

Whistleblower House (WBH) is a non-profit organisation that aims to provide assistance to people who want to expose corruption.

“The reality in South Africa is that no dedicated resource exists to support whistleblowers,” says Ben Theron, executive director of WBH.

“They’re often adrift in accessing legal counsel, financial help, psychological support, assistance with the preparation of testimonies and evaluating the risks they may face.”

The NPO is raising funds from donors and establishing a panel of pro bono service providers to cover all the required fields, including lawyers, GPs, psychologists, psychiatrists and dentists. Access to job opportunities will also be provided by WBH.