The Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town, has spoken out strongly in defence of whistleblowers, raising concern over the growing number of killings linked to corruption exposure in South Africa.
Makgoba delivered his remarks during his Easter sermon at the St George’s Cathedral, where he highlighted what he described as a troubling pattern of violence targeting those who speak out against wrongdoing.
In recent years, several whistleblowers have been murdered after exposing corruption. Among the most notable cases is Babita Deokaran, a Gauteng Health official who was killed in 2021 outside her Johannesburg home after uncovering an R850 million fraud linked to Tembisa Hospital.
Another case is Marius van der Merwe, who testified as “Witness D” before a commission investigating police corruption and was later shot dead at his home in December last year.
Businessman and whistleblower Marumo Eric Phenya was also assassinated in 2022 in Roodepoort after exposing alleged tender corruption within the Department of Home Affairs.
Makgoba warned that corruption has become so widespread that new scandals involving the abuse of political power for personal gain are almost expected.
He condemned the targeted killings of whistleblowers and professionals, including legal practitioners, describing them as deliberate attempts by corrupt individuals to avoid accountability.
The Archbishop further expressed concern that a culture of violence and impunity is taking root, calling for greater protection of those who risk their lives to expose corruption.
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