A guardian of public accountability
THE brutal and tragic killing of Babita Deokaran is an act of savagery that must be condemned by the nation and its law abiding citizens.
If the government does not protect whistle-blowers, murderous assaults like these will become common. Our march against corruption stumbles on flawed law execution. The NPA needs to extend every possible protection to whistleblowers – a necessary element of a strategy to combat corruption.
Babita Deokaran was a guardian of public accountability. Sadly, she paid the ultimate price in an attempt to expose rampant corruption.
An extremely brave soul who unearthed corruption at the top echelons of power. She demonstrated exemplary courage, often, at tremendous risk to her life.
A recent plea by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo for whistleblowers to be protected, must be taken seriously, if we are to contain or defeat monumental corruption in our greed-infested democracy.
Corruption is deadlier than Covid-19, more infectious than HIV, more contagious than TB and more ferocious than cancer. It has thus far over the past 27 years cost this impoverished country, R2 trillion in embezzled and looted money.
Experience shows whistle-blowers reporting graft cases they may suffer various forms of retaliation. Usurpers and their looters-in-arms have acquired a high-level audacity to steal billions without consequences.
SA will never develop, as long as greed and wasteful conspicuous consumption of its scarce wealth is brazenly and illegally acquired. By killing whistle-blowers, we resemble Colombia in the 1970s under the control of the drug lords of Medellin. FAROUK ARAIE | GAUTENG