Punishing false whistleblowing will stifle reports, MPs say
Opposition parties warn SA will be the first in the world to criminalise false disclosures
Criminalising false disclosures of corruption will deter whistleblowers from coming forward, opposition parliamentarians said on Tuesday.The Protected Disclosures Amendment Bill is aimed at protecting individuals who are aware of corrupt activities when they approach the authorities with information.Whistleblowers have faced intimidation, dismissal and threats to their lives due to a lack of protection."False whistleblowers can be subjected to disciplinary processes and could be sanctioned or fined," DA MP Werner Horn told the National Assembly."We will be the first country to criminalise false disclosures that have been made innocently and unknowingly," Horn said.The EFF’s Sam Matiase called the bill a "lost opportunity" for the ANC to regain the trust of South Africans who have witnessed corruption occur with impunity. He called the criminalising of false disclosures "a secrecy bill by other means".National Freedom Party MP Sibusiso Mncwabe said false disclosures should not be pro...
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