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south african Authorities have failed to protect those who expose corruption and criminal activity in government and state-owned enterprises from attacks and killings, Human Rights Watch said today. Authorities need to conduct effective, prompt and impartial investigations to hold those responsible accountable and ensure justice for the victims and their families.
During the State of the Nation address on February 12, 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated a previous commitment to introduce a new whistleblower protection bill in Parliament. But the bill has not passed and as the murders of two whistleblowers, Mpho Mafole and Marius van der Merwe, in 2025 demonstrate, whistleblowers cannot afford more unfulfilled promises.
“The scale and frequency with which whistleblowers who expose criminal syndicates and corruption are attacked and killed is alarming and raises serious concerns for their safety in South Africa,” he said. Nomathamasanka masiko-mapakaSouth Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “South African authorities should urgently enhance protection measures for whistleblowers and address limitations in the existing legal framework.”
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unknown people killed Mafole in a drive-by shooting in Johannesburg on June 30, 2025. Maphole was a 47-year-old municipal forensic auditor and group divisional head for corporate and forensic audit of the City of Ekurhuleni. They flagged procurement irregularities in a 1.8 billion rand (about US$112.9 million) mobile chemical toilet tender and presented its audit findings 26th JuneFour days before his murder. Investigative journalists have informed Mafole was tracked by his killers from the time he left his home around 8 a.m. until shortly before 6 p.m., when he was murdered.
Thabani Goodwill Ntshalinshali Was arrested On 25 July, and charged with Mafole's murder. His tests Scheduled to begin on March 24, 2026. A warrant has also been issued for the second suspect. Hlanganani Agripar MankwangoWho is still absconding.
Shot by unknown people on 5 December 2025 van der merwe several times in front of his family outside his home in Brakpan, east of Johannesburg. Van der Merwe was a former police officer testified Off-camera before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System (Madlanga Commission). He highlighted serious allegations of criminality and corruption in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department.
On February 5, 2026, Viandre Pretorius, a police reservist, survived an attempt on his life by individuals who allegedly fired 16 bullets at his vehicle as he was leaving his home in Boksburg. He died on 7 February, reportedly by suicide. He was allegedly implicated by Van der Merwe in the 2022 murder of Emmanuel Embens at the hands of the police. Three others are among the twelve people identified as persons of interest in Mbenes' death. killedAllegedly “performance style.”
“Whistleblowing is central to combating corruption and improving transparency, (yet) it has also proven fatal in many cases,” Nkululeko Konko, lawyer. keep an eye on corruptiona South African group told Human Rights Watch. Thus, legislative reform should “consolidate the fragmented approach to whistleblowing, which is expressed in different pieces of legislation.”
Whistleblower attacks have a long history in post-apartheid South Africa, with many whistleblowers over the past two decades becoming victims of targeted killings or humiliating attacks in retaliation for exposing corruption and criminality.
When Protected Disclosures Act 26 of 2000 Human Rights Watch said that while it provides nominal legal protections against retaliation for workers who disclose information about wrongdoing in the public and private sectors, the law is grossly inadequate. In 2023, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development issued a discussion document A proposal to reform the whistleblower protection regime, which highlights how the Act and other related legislation can be strengthened.
Proposals included expanding the definitions of whistleblowers beyond the employer-employer relationship; shortening the time limit for investigating a disclosure; Better measures to keep protected disclosures confidential; making it an offense not to act on a protected disclosure; Establish a mechanism to provide legal assistance to whistleblowers; and increasing the powers of regulatory bodies such as the South African Human Rights Commission to deal with protected disclosures.
President Ramaphosa first created commitment During last year's State of the Nation Address to “finalize the Whistleblower Protection Framework and introduce the Whistleblower Protection Bill in Parliament”. This has not happened even after a year.
in this year AddressPresident Ramaphosa expressed a similar commitment, saying: “We cannot accept that those who speak out against corruption are victimized and targeted. The Whistleblower Protection Bill will be introduced in Parliament. Among other things, it will criminalize retaliation and provide psychosocial, legal and financial support to whistleblowers. And there will be a special focus on restructuring our procurement system with a view to rooting out corruption.”
Human Rights Watch said the South African government urgently needed to translate the commitment into concrete action. These include early passage of the Whistleblower Protection Bill and implementation of comprehensive safeguards for whistleblowers, such as effective witness protection.
Masiko-Mpaka said, “South African authorities cannot afford to repeat empty promises because the lives of whistleblowers are at risk.” “Whistleblowers need not promises, but specific, measurable and concrete steps to ensure their protection and eliminate the risk of retaliation and violence.”