Corruption and fraud in South Africa have gotten out of hand, and it is wrong to deter whistle-blowers through legislation from coming forward even more, Dr. Corné Mulder, chief whip of the FF Plus says.
Dr. Mulder said during the parliamentary debate on the Protected Disclosures Amendment Bill, that apart from the extent of fraud and corruption unemployment is the highest it has been in 13 years, amounting to 27,1%.
“It is of the greatest importance that people are encouraged to expose fraud and corruption.
“It is, therefore, wrong to include a provision in the bill which on the one hand invites people to come forward with information, but there is a sword of a jail term of two years hanging over people’s heads. This cannot be done.
“Take state capture for example. The ANC had its own internal investigation about this. Only a few people were prepared to come forward due to the fear of victimisation. The Public Protector followed a different approach with totally different results.
“The reality is that whistle-blowers are already under enormous pressure to rather keep quiet. They should be encouraged and not threatened.
“In South Africa’s legal system, there are sufficient other measures to take action against people who come forward with false information, such as disciplinary actions and defamation claims. The FF Plus will therefore not support this bill,” Dr. Mulder says.
Contact no.: 083 626 1497 / 083 419 5403
;
