Global award for four SA whistle-blowers highlights the lack of local recognition for those who expose corruption

13 Dec 2022

For two years, four South African whistle-blowers have landed global honours at the Blueprint for Free Speech awards. Locally, however, little is done to recognise those who expose corruption.

Last year, Daily Maverick reported on four South African whistle-blowers honoured for their courage in uncovering evidence of corruption, fraud and even murder.

Read more in Daily Maverick: “Four South African whistle-blowers land international honours at 2021 Blueprint for Free Speech Awards”

On Thursday, 15 December, Blueprint for Free Speech will again award special recognition prizes to four South Africans who helped to bring major corruption to light.

This is the first majority female list, with the recipients coming from South Africa, Australia and the UK. The South African prize winners are Cynthia Stimpel, Bianca Goodson, Patricia Mashale and Athol Williams.

The awards come as South Africa battles to undo the damage done during the State Capture era, and as President Ramaphosa faces the prospect of losing his job as a result of the Phala Phala scandal.

Daily Maverick caught up with the four South African whistle-blowers ahead of the awards ceremony. They agreed that they felt honoured internationally – but less so in South Africa.

“It is a wonderful feeling to be recognised by an international organisation like Blueprint for Free Speech. This is indeed an honour to be acknowledged for doing the right thing for my company at that time and for my country,” said whistle-blower Cynthia Stimpel.

Stimpel said the international recognition demonstrates how South Africa has not done enough for whistle-blowers.

“Since 2016, the name of the whistle-blower was perceived as the ‘pariah’. There was a stigma attached to the whistle-blower, and they were seen as ‘snitches’ or ‘impimpis’.

“In the past two years, awareness around the whistle-blowers’ plight has been heightened, and especially after the senseless killing of Babita Deokaran,” said Stimpel.

“I have hope there are civil society organisations working towards assisting whistle-blowers. The State Capture report stating the importance of providing support, protection and reparations to whistle-blowers has also added to organisations showing interest in helping.”

Stimpel blew the whistle on a corrupt deal at South African Airways (SAA), which appears in Volume 1 of the Zondo Commission report. The volume includes the Gupta family’s New Age newspaper, the destruction of SAA by former president Jacob Zuma’s consigliere, Dudu Myeni, the capture of the SA Revenue Service and the corruption of the state procurement system through the tender system.

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For whistle-blower Bianca Goodson, the Blueprint Free Speech recognition suggests that “the stigma and narrative around whistle-blowing internationally is changing … towards a celebration of bravery”.

Reflecting on the impact whistle-blowing has had on her life, Goodson said: “It has been a horrible journey. I have lost my ability to secure full-time employment, I got divorced and I am receiving treatment for PTSD.”

Goodson exposed the corrupt activities of the Gupta family in 2016 at a time when their wrongdoings were not widely known. She blew the whistle after resigning as CEO of Trillian Management Consulting, a position she held from January to March 2016.

Read more in Daily Maverick: “How Gupta-linked firm scored big by connecting officials and consultants – whistle-blower”

Patricia Mashale was also recognised at the Blueprint awards. She has been in hiding since February after exposing “massive corruption” at management level in the South African Police Service (SAPS) where she worked for 15 years. Mashale said that after she blew the whistle, she was dismissed from her job and has no way of sustaining herself financially.

Mashale told Daily Maverick that despite the harsh consequences of exposing corruption, the process had given her a sense of purpose.

“Through blowing the whistle, I actually found my purpose, regardless of everything that I have experienced, including the attempts on my life. I have encouraged so many people to come forward and speak out about corruption and that, for me, is already a positive change.

“I was dismissed and never received my outstanding salary from the SAPS, which has impacted my livelihood. In the beginning, I received donations or grants from organisations like Whistleblower House, Frontline Defenders, the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa and from individuals who supported my cause.

“But lately, life is very difficult – there have not been enough donations … to help pay for my accommodation, but … [a person] has been assisting me with my daily upkeep. I have never received any protection or assistance from the government.

“It’s a huge honour to have received an award from Blueprint, but it’s bittersweet … to know that my own government would rather see me dead than acknowledge me as a whistle-blower … our government doesn’t have the will to protect whistle-blowers,” said Mashile.

Another recognised award winner, and the only man among the four South African whistle-blowers, Athol Williams, had this to say:

“Blowing the whistle has ruined my career because South Africans shun me. Companies and universities have refused to employ me or engage me as a strategy and ethics adviser, which is my expertise…

“Although I have extensive board-level experience and top academic credentials, none of the large companies have shown any interest. Even Business Unity South Africa has outright refused to support me,” said Williams.

“I have appealed to the Presidency and companies like Old Mutual and MTN … I’ve written to billionaires in SA, with no luck. There is simply no interest in supporting or protecting whistle-blowers.

“Lots and lots of talks and conferences, but nothing tangible – not even public support other than from NGOs like the Helen Suzman Foundation and Defend Our Democracy.

“South Africa is not doing anything to recognise whistle-blowers.

“It should embarrass our leaders in government and business that, yet again, the international community is acting where SA is failing. We saw this with the public sector ban of Bain, where the UK led and SA followed.

“I hope this international recognition will spur SA to act for whistle-blowers and I hope this recognition will amplify my continued call for an ethical society, which I believe is the route to prosperity.”

Williams was a business strategy adviser and lecturer in business ethics at the University of Cape Town when he blew the whistle on unethical and potentially corrupt practices by US-based consultancy Bain & Company in South Africa.

Williams lives in exile while continuing to speak out against corruption in South Africa, demanding that those responsible be held accountable.

In addition to the South African whistle-blowers honoured at this year’s awards, a prize was also given to David McBride, former Australian special forces lawyer who has exposed war crimes.

This is timely since the Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine may soon be aired in international courts. DM

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