Calls to fast-track implementation of whistle-blower law

Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) research associate Federico Links says Namibia needs suitable whistle-blower and witness protection laws to aid governance around public procurement spending.He cited an incident in which a whistle-blower, former South African Police Services employee Patricia Mashale, fled the country to an undisclosed location.She has been appealing for protection from government for a while, reports from that country state.Mashale said her life is in danger after exposing alleged corruption within the police’s crime intelligence department in 2009.According to Links, “we need a Whistle-Blower Protection Act. We are seeing what is happening in South Africa around witness protection. The experience there should be a wake-up call about what is happening in terms of the failures to protect witnesses and whistle-blowers”.Renewed impetusThe implementation of these laws would give renewed impetus to fighting corruption, he said.“There are areas that we really need to pay attention to. We need to implement these laws and frameworks to have a system that really supports adequate and appropriate investigations on the public procurement space,” Links said.Justice minister Yvonne Dausab in September 2020 said Namibia would need at least N$160 million to implement a witness-protection programme.“The latest estimate placed the cost of this exercise at N$160 million per annum if one takes into account the financial and human capital costs involved in implementing the law. The funds are simply not available, hence our drive to source alternative sources of funding such as grants in order to realise this noble objective,” she said at the time.

Calls to fast-track implementation of whistle-blower law

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-04

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Calls to fast-track implementation of whistle-blower law

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-04

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