Civil society raises alarm over intimidation of Scopa chairperson, RAF whistleblowers
Civil society organisations have sounded the alarm over what they describe as intimidation and surveillance directed at Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) chairperson, Songezo Zibi, and whistleblowers linked to the Road Accident Fund (RAF) inquiry.
In a statement, 23 organisations expressed “grave concern” following Zibi’s disclosure that he is under surveillance possibly connected to Scopa’s probe into the RAF.
Zibi revealed this during a meeting of Scopa last week that national police commissioner Fannie Masemola had conducted a threat assessment and deemed that he needed to increase his personal security.
The signatories to the statement including the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Amnesty International South Africa, Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, Solidarity, and the Public Affairs Research Institute, said the intimidation campaign posed a direct threat to accountability.
“These intimidatory acts strike at the heart of Parliament’s constitutional oversight mandate and the public’s right to accountable governance,” the organisations said.
The groups warned that such interference could derail Parliament’s work and undermine the protection of those exposing alleged corruption at the fund.
“Parliament’s investigative and accountability work must proceed free from interference. The public is owed a full and transparent reckoning as to the operations of the RAF, recipient of such huge amounts of public monies,” they stated.
The groups also raised their serious concerns regarding threats against whistleblowers, many of whom, according to the statement, “now fear for their safety.”
The organisations added: “This criminal intimidation comes not only at the cost of their absolute right to personal security but at the cost to the public’s right to know how monies from the public fiscus were spent.”
The coalition outlined a series of demands directed at Parliament, government, and law enforcement. They called on Parliament to “issue an all-party statement condemning surveillance and intimidation of MPs and whistleblowers” and to implement a “security and integrity plan for Scopa proceedings.”
They also urged the executive and interim RAF board, led by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, to “publicly guarantee full protection and support for RAF whistleblowers, including safe reporting channels, non-retaliation undertakings, legal/psychosocial support, and rapid access to the Witness Protection programme where indicated.”
On law enforcement, the organisations insisted that the Hawks and other authorities “urgently investigate the alleged surveillance and intimidation; provide Parliament with timelines and periodic public updates.”
They further recommended that the Information Regulator and Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence assess whether there had been “misuse of state or private capabilities.”