‘Whistleblowers need more protection’

With heads rolling almost
daily amid new state capture
scandals in state-owned entities
(SOEs) and in the private
sector, analysts believe this
will prompt other corporates
to focus more keenly on
corporate governance. But
this is contingent on greater
protection of public and private
sector whistleblowers.
The inaugural Ethical
Practices Survey – conducted
by the Anti-Intimidation
and Ethical Practices Forum
(AEPF) and launched by
Corruption Watch late last
month – highlighted that
professionals working in the
auditing and accounting fields
in South Africa were generally
open to reporting unethical
behaviour within their fields.
“But there are risks involved
in exposing corruption or
unethical behaviour, and if
companies and professional
bodies do not curb incidents of
intimidation, the situation will
not improve,” said executive
director of Corruption Watch,
David Lewis
The survey found that private
professionals sector were
more likely to report unethical
behaviour anonymously.