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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a platform where 20 countries come together, so any initiative that seeks to help us to advance our cause is welcome \u2026 if then, paying a whistleblower is also an option, I don\u2019t think we are closed to that discussion, and seeing how far we can take it,\u201d he said on Wednesday at the culmination of the G20 anti-corruption working group summit which started in Cape Town on Monday.<\/p>\n
In his speech to the media, Buthelezi acknowledged the \u201cindispensable role of whistleblowers\u201d, saying they must be recognised for uncovering corruption.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir courage in exposing wrongdoing often comes at a significant personal risk. Therefore, enhancing whistleblower protection is at the top of the group\u2019s list,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
South Africa\u2019s Whistleblower Protection Bill is expected to be presented in parliament this year. Discussion documents about it raise the possibility of awarding a percentage of funds recovered from crimes to whistleblowers, providing the information shared is material to recovery.<\/p>\n
But the documents also warn that paying whistleblowers could encourage false or trivial reports \u2014 they might be incentivised to report trivial issues in pursuit of financial gain, potentially diverting attention from more serious cases\u200b.<\/p>\n
There is also a risk that whistleblowers could manipulate the system by fabricating cases or colluding with wrongdoers to create artificial fraud schemes\u200b.<\/p>\n
Establishing a reward system, according to the discussion documents, would also require significant financial and legal resources.<\/p>\n
Special Investigating Unit (SIU) head advocate Andy Mothibi, who co-chaired the summit on behalf of South Africa alongside advocate Marcelo Pontes Vianna, Brazil\u2019s secretary for private sector integrity, said financial incentives for whistleblowers was part of the discussions that were underway.<\/p>\n
But South Africa already had some measures in place for whistleblowers whose lives had been threatened, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a focused programme at the SIU and the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority]. Once whistleblowers come forward, we work together as a cluster to ensure they are protected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buthelezi said the fight against corruption was a battle for public trust. \u201cBy keeping our citizens informed and engaged, we reinforce the message that corruption has no place in our societies and integrity will be the cornerstone of governance worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recovery of stolen assets was paramount in the fight against corruption, he said, as was undertaken by the SIU.<\/p>\n
Ethics should be part of curricula to help eradicate corruption and other crimes but it was not solely the role of universities or schools to teach it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt must be taught within families and communities,\u201d Buthelezi said.<\/p>\n
Asked about the intersection of ethics \u2014 or lack thereof \u2014 and cadre deployment, he said: \u201cWe all appreciate that some of our challenges came about as a result of cadre deployment. Hence, as the department of public service and administration, we are tasked with professionalising the public service. But, if you go deeper into that, it does speak deeper to the issue of cadre deployment.\u201d<\/p>\n
The matter of professionalising the public sector had to be de-politicised, he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been professionals in the public service and we shouldn\u2019t push the narrative that all public servants are not professional. The public service has been professional, but politics has interfered. Whoever comes into the public space now, that person must be fit and proper for the position.<\/p>\n
\u201cNorms and standards have been put in place so that politicians do not necessarily appoint staff in their offices who do not meet minimum requirements,\u201d he said, adding that this had been taken further in that South African politics also had to be professionalised.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs political parties, now, we are also trying to professionalise ourselves\u201d, even though it was not a requirement of the government, he said.<\/p>\n
The focus of the working group was on strengthening the public sector by promoting transparency, integrity and accountability; increasing the efficiency of asset recovery measures and enhancing and mobilising the inclusive participation of the public sector, private sector, civil society and academia to prevent and combat corruption.<\/p>\n
The fourth area of focus was beefing up protection mechanisms for whistleblowers, which Buthelezi said on Monday was \u201cthe most important\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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. \u201cThis is a platform where<\/p>\n