The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for a department-wide policy on whistleblower compensation.

This comes after Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau's recent confirmation that the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) will compensate whistleblowers who exposed up to R2 billion in corrupt grants.

The DA said that such a policy should be extended to all entities within the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC), including the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), which has been plagued by allegations of mismanagement.

Toby Chance, DA spokesperson on Trade, Industry & Competition, welcomed the minister’s announcement regarding the compensation of whistleblowers at the NLC, stating, “The DA welcomes this approach within the DTIC and welcomes the compensating of whistleblowers who suffer serious losses as a result of their contribution to cleaning up corruption.”

However, he emphasised that this policy should not be limited to the NLC but should be applied across all entities within the department, adding, “But we believe that this must be a department-wide policy, applying to all entities in the DTIC.”

The whistleblowers in question suffered significant financial and personal losses after their dismissals following their efforts to expose corruption within the NLC.

Tau acknowledged their hardships, noting that “Jodi Scholtz, Commissioner at the NLC, has met with affected individuals and described their experiences as ‘heart-wrenching,’ noting that their lives were ‘turned upside down’ due to their dismissals.”

While Tau confirmed that a reparation process would address these hardships, it remains unclear whether it will include compensation for lost income.

The DA is also concerned about whistleblowers at SABS, who have brought forward numerous allegations of governance failures since August 2024.

“As they suffer similar fates to their colleagues at the NLC, they too should have recourse to a department-wide policy of whistleblower compensation,” said Chance.

In a bid to further address the issue, Chance has written to the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition, Mswandile Masina , urging him to summon Tau to account for his inaction on appointing an independent inquiry to investigate the ongoing allegations against SABS executives and board members.

“Masina has agreed to this request in principle but a date is yet to be set for the meeting,” Chance said.

The DA stresses the importance of ensuring clean and transparent governance within state institutions, asserting that the treatment of whistleblowers plays a crucial role in fostering an environment of accountability.

“It is imperative that clean and transparent governance becomes the norm in our state institutions,” Chance said.

“One way of achieving that is to give whistleblowers the confidence that the information they reveal, once confirmed for its veracity, will result in their fair and just treatment in the hands of their employers and law enforcement agencies.''

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DA calls for department-wide whistleblower compensation policy following National Lotteries Commission case