Civil society, unions welcome draft bill to protect whistleblowers

As South Africans have been encouraged to comment on proposed legislation around the protection of whistleblowers, some civil society groups and unions have welcomed the draft bill.

On Thursday, Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi released the Protected Disclosure Bill, which is meant to address the shortcomings in existing legislation.

If the bill passes, disclosing the identities of whistleblowers would be criminalised and those who ring the alarm on corruption would be catered for in witness protection by the State.

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The draft Protected Disclosure Bill has been widely welcomed by labour and civil society, with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) describing it as "progressive".

CEO of the Whistleblower House Ben Theron has described the bill as a step in the right direction.

He has proposed ways of how the law can be better implemented once it is passed.

“If John, working for 702, sees something wrong and he does not know who to talk to, that needs to be spelled out. If you are in this industry, this is where you go. If this is your company, the company should have a designated person that becomes the person that you go and talk to.”

The bill is now open for public comment and submissions can be made until 14 May 2026 before it goes to Parliament.