Counting The Brutal Cost of Whistle Blowing

The South African State Capture Inquiry (Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture also referred to as the Zondo commission) and other similar corruption inquiries are producing a lot of high value whistle blowers than ever before. In exposing the corrupt practices, whistle blowers also expose themselves to the perpetrators.

There is a clear pattern of what happens to whistle blowers

There is a clear pattern of what happens to whistle blowers once they have blown the whistle.

1. When corruption is exposed, businesses suffer. The organisations tend to retaliate against whistle blowers, rather than protect them. Management usually initiates legal threats, forms of intimidation, demotion from current position, marginalisation by other employees, or even end in dismissal.
2. Externally, whistle blowers will start to the lose business contacts as they are met with scepticism by the business community. The business community is unwelcoming to individuals trending in the media and fighting with other businesses.
3. In addition to these challenges, the legal costs escalate beyond what the whistle blower can afford. Frequently it is a private individual fighting against a well resourced corporate.
4. In instances where the whistle blower has been dismissed from work, there is loss of income and alienation from a community of supporter from work.
5. When seeking other work opportunities, having whistle blowing as part of your resume is viewed as counterproductive. Employers are not keen to employ someone who ‘causes trouble.’
6. The tribulations of whistle blowers seem not to end. The perpetrators would constantly threaten them with death or physical violence. In many cases they end up silenced by violence or even death.
7. Mistreatment by current and former employers, society and perpetrators, leaves psychological scars that degrade into mental illness and in worst cases, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
8. Finally, with a heavy heart, unstable mental state and lack of support some individuals opt to take their own life to escape woes of whistle blowing.

Finally, with a heavy heart, unstable mental state and lack of support some individuals opt to take their own life to escape woes of whistle blowing.

The effects identified above worsen if no legal consequences are taken against the perpetrators. Imagine that you prove that there were illegal deals, the court/commission may agree but the persons still walk free and well-resourced to face you outside the courtroom.

Although they are motivated by the desire to see goodness prevail, the law (or its application) appears incapable of protecting and preventing retaliatory attacks against whistle blowers.

As a result, people do not want to come forward as witnesses or become whistle-blowers. It is not because they tolerate or condone corruption, but fear of reprisals.

The fight against corruption is as strong as the institutional ability to protect witnesses and whistle-blowers.

In order to protect themselves, some of them are turning into professional whistle blowers and activists, taking the fight against corruption to the next level. For the first time in South Africa, we now have a community that seek to advance the cause of whistle blowing, exposing corruption and providing support to those that are being victimised.

The fight against corruption is as strong as the ability to protect witnesses and whistle-blowers, implementing appropriate and effective consequences management strategy.