Former Trillian CEO and State capture whistleblower Bianca Goodson has started a fundraising campaign to help whistleblowers who find themselves jobless and in dire straits for their bravery in speaking out against State capture. The 41-year-old decided to blow the whistle on State capture in 2016.
The Protected Disclosures Amendment Act is not enough to protect whistleblowers.
Liezl Groenewald
South Africans have recently again been made aware of the poor treatment whistleblowers receive.
In their testimonies at the Zondo Commission in March 2021, two specific whistleblowers - a former partner at Bain SA, Athol Williams, and former Trillian Management Consulting CEO Bianca Goodson - brought the plight of whistleblowers to the attention of not only Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, but also the nation.
In reaction to Goodson s breakdown during her testimony, Zondo expressed his concern about the lack of protection to whistleblowers and his interest in evaluating the adequacy or otherwise of protection of whistleblowers in South Africa.
Eskom’s payout to the transnational consulting company McKinsey and Co and its BEE partner, Gupta-linked company Trillian Management Consulting (TMC), as well as the involvement of Eskom’s former group CEO, Matshela Koko, were at the centre of proceedings at the State Capture Commission on Tuesday.
Koko was making his sixth appearance before Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, this time to testify after former Trillian financial advisory CEO Mosilo Mothepu implicated him as the lead negotiator in the awarding of an Eskom contract to TMC and McKinsey. Koko denied all claims linking him to the settlement agreement signed apparently as compensation for the termination of their consulting contract.