OUTSIDE VIEW
ANDILE KHUMALO: Whistle-blowers' allegations should be treated with care
I think I was in my final year of articles at Deloitte when I first saw a sign that read "Tip-Offs Anonymous". I was intrigued and read the announcement of the new service to clients pasted all over our Durban office. Essentially, clients would now have a safe space to report any fraud or corruption taking place in the company without fear of being victimised. Anonymous whistle-blowing is no longer restricted to employees of an organisation, and literally anyone who has any information about anything that appears fraudulent can come forward to an organisation by phone, e-mail or post, as well as the infamous shoving of a "dossier" under the doors of a head office. However, the reporting of suspected fraud or corruption does not in itself mean that a crime was actually committed, nor does it mean a crime was committed by the person whom the whistle-blower implicates. The only way a company is able to determine this is by receiving the whistle-blower's report, performing an initial as...
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