The deadly consequences of whistleblowing for municipal workers in South Africa
Poor service delivery, politics, and whistleblowing have turned the local government sphere into a “war zone,” resulting in the deaths of close to 150 municipal workers in the past six years.
The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) revealed that since 2018, about 148 municipal workers have been assassinated. It stated that whistleblowing is now the leading cause of these killings and called for municipal workers, especially those who work in procurement, to be provided with protection even beyond their workplace.
The union indicated that the statistics were gleaned from several reports compiled by a non-governmental organisation.
Samwu general secretary Dumisani Magagula detailed the extent of the problem and the threat faced by municipal workers during an interview with a television news channel.
He stated that the data was compiled by the Crisis Mapping Association and Corruption Watch, which has also gathered data with the union and Stats SA on killings in local government. “It was revealed that since 2018, 148 officials have been killed. It’s a very bad picture, and it shows that we are in a war zone in local government.
“These killings are complex; in some instances, they occur because of service delivery issues where communities become impatient with municipal workers. They express their anger resulting in municipal workers being at risk and, in many instances, being killed,” he said.
“There are political issues as well that lead to municipal workers being killed, but also whistleblowing, which is taking the crown, together with business hijackings. Gangsters walk into a municipality, demand tenders, and insist on being subcontracted. If the municipal workers do not comply, they are at risk of being killed, even from inside the municipal building, because these gangsters come in fully armed. We have seen many instances of that nature.
“There are many factors that expose municipal workers to being attacked and killed. Municipal workers need more protection, and those who work in procurement need protection beyond the workplace. They should be assessed in terms of what their risks are, and measures must be in place to protect municipal workers so that if there are matters of corruption they want to raise, they will feel secure and know that they and their families are safe.”
He added that the primary reason why municipal workers are killed is due to the significant amount of money involved in local government. Magagula also said that they will take the matter to the bargaining council to advocate for policies that aim to protect workers.
President of South African Local Government Association Bheke Stofile said intervention was needed as the country is fast heading towards being a mafia state. Stofile said they have been speaking about killings in local government, and they even released research used during the Moerane Commission and later updated the statistics. They also spoke about this during parliamentary debates, including various State of the Nation debates.
He added that recently, they discussed two concepts: the “elephant in the room” and the “invisible hand” that must be dealt with as a country; otherwise, “we are fast gravitating towards a mafia state.”
KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi recently expressed grave concern over the escalating number of attacks and murders targeting municipal workers across the province.
“These alarming incidents paint a disturbing picture and demand immediate attention from law enforcement agencies. “I am deeply concerned by these developments, which unfortunately suggest a worrying trend that must be nipped in the bud,” said MEC Buthelezi. “These attacks on public servants who are dedicated to serving our communities are unacceptable and undermine the very fabric of local governance,” he said.
In 2024, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) released a report titled The Politics of Murder: Criminal Governance and Targeted Killings in South Africa. The report noted that targets of political killings in South Africa include activists, whistle-blowers, local councillors, party supporters, and government administrators.
“While local councillors are disproportionately represented among the victims, our records show that whistle-blowers, political activists, and anti-fraud and corruption officials have all been victims of assassination, demonstrating the link between corruption in the local and state spheres of government and targeted killings,” the report said.