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- Journalists have called for the protection of whistleblowers.
- Panellists discussed the safety of corruption busters at the premiere of News24's documentary on Babita Deokaran's work and why she was killed.
- Author of 'The Whistleblowers' Mandy Wiener said the government needed to review its laws.
Journalists Jeff Wicks and Mandy Wiener said that South Africa could do more to protect whistleblowers who expose corruption at public and private entities.
Wicks and Wiener were panellists at a discussion on the role of whistleblowers at the premiere of News24's investigative documentary Silenced: Why Babita Deokaran was murdered.
Wiener, the author of The Whistleblowers, said people who exposed corruption "were pushed to the fringes of society" and did so at the expense of their safety and psychological well-being.
She said the legislative overhaul of the Protected Disclosures Act, which governs whistleblowers, and accountability for perpetrators of corruption were among the solutions for endemic corruption in the country.
She said:
Wicks, a News24 investigative journalist, has produced a series of exposés titled Silenced. The articles lay bare rampant corruption at Tembisa Hospital on the East Rand and delve into suspicious payments flagged by Gauteng health department official Babita Deokaran before she was murdered in August 2021.
READ | News24’s 'Silenced' wins top investigative journalism award
Wicks said his investigation into Deokaran's murder was the hardest story he'd worked on in his career. He lamented the police's delayed response in arresting the masterminds who ordered her assassination, saying this increased the possibility of perpetrators getting rid of the evidence.
He added:
Asked what could be done to protect whistleblowers, Wicks commended journalists who protected their sources and the work of organisations like The Whistleblower House, which supports corruption busters.
He said while more could be done, he was optimistic that the growing understanding of the importance of whistleblowers would foster positive change.
OUT NOW | News24 debuts documentary dedicated to exposing Babita Deokaran's true murderers
"We are only now understanding the extent of the issue when it comes to the lack of whistleblower protection," he added.
Martha Ngoye, a whistleblower who exposed corruption at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), recounted her difficulties as a corruption buster.
Ngoye, who has a young daughter, said she could relate to Deokaran's story because she, too, lived in fear for her safety.
"Babita's death will not be in vain for as long as some of us are alive. [From] here on end, we will raise our concerns," she said.
