Protecting the whistle blowers in South Africa: The Protected Disclosures Act, No 26 of 2000

This paper places the South African legislation to protect whistle blowers in the context of recent anti-corruption initiatives.

This paper challenges public opinion about whistle blowers and whistleblowing. It places the South African legislation to protect whistle blowers in the context of recent anti-corruption initiatives. A brief summary is given of the Protected Disclosures Act and its application. Some of the potential practical implications of whistle blower protection legislation for employers and employees in both the public and private sector organisations are touched upon.

About the author

Lala Camerer joined the Institute for Security Studies in September 1995. She specialises in issues dealing with corruption, commercial crime and criminal victimisation and is a senior researcher in the Organised Crime and Corruption Programme, run out of Cape Town. She completed an MPhil in Comparative Social Research at Oxford University and also holds a Masters degree (cum laude) in Political Philosophy from Stellenbosch University. She is currently working on a PhD focusing on anti-corruption strategies. She is also a policy specialist for the Open Democracy Advice Centre on whistleblowing issues.