South Africa: Strengthening South Africa's Whistleblowing Ecosystem - From Disclosure to Accountability

analysis

By Yasmin Shapurjee

Whistleblowing is a powerful tool for protecting democracy in South Africa, helping to expose corruption, abuse of power and wrongdoing. Whistleblowing emerged as a key force, especially during the state capture period. From the revelations of whistleblowers in major public entities such as South African Airways, Eskom, the Gauteng Department of Health, and SARS, to those in the private and civil society sectors, their disclosures have been instrumental in exposing governance and ethics failures and have catalysed national accountability conversations.

Democracy Works Foundation (DWF) and The Whistleblower House (TWBH) have partnered to implement the Protecting and Promoting Whistleblowing (PPW) project in South Africa, which is co-funded by the European Union (EU). The project offers direct legal, financial, psychological, and security support to whistleblowers, aiming to strengthen advocacy for whistleblower protection in law and policy frameworks through partnerships with government, business, and civil society, thereby creating a stronger, more supportive environment for whistleblowing. Through the PPW project, DWF and TWBH advocate for the strengthening of a national ecosystem of solidarity, support, and accountability - one

that supports whistleblowers holistically and values whistleblowers as key actors in shaping more transparent and accountable governance structures and systems.

Building on research, learnings and engagements during the PPW project, DWF and TWBH hosted a 2-day seminar in Johannesburg, on 15 and 16 April 2026.

The seminar theme was: "Strengthening South Africa's Whistleblowing Ecosystem: From Disclosure to Accountability."

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