We cannot afford to look away from the assassination of lawyer Bouwer van Niekerk - the latest in what appears to be an escalation of threats and attacks against lawyers, investigators, auditors, whistleblowers and journalists.

We cannot afford to look away from the assassination of lawyer Bouwer van Niekerk - the latest in what appears to be an escalation of threats and attacks against lawyers, investigators, auditors, whistleblowers and journalists.

Standing up to corruption in South Africa risks costing you your life.

This is the only conclusion we can draw from the horrifying murder of lawyer Bouwer van Niekerk on Friday morning at his law firm, gunned down in what may be a direct response to his work as the attorney for the business rescue of NTC Global Trade Fund, an alleged Ponzi scheme.

News24 reported on Saturday that Van Niekerk had received a phone call from a woman speaking Afrikaans some days previously, telling him to resign or he would not "see the end of the week". The outlet reported that a similar threat was made to business rescue practitioner Kurt Knoop, who took the decision to resign from the case.

Van Niekerk - reportedly a brave and principled lawyer, and the father of a 12 year-old daughter - did not.

Even one such case would be appalling. But it lands in a climate of escalating threats and attacks on those confronting...