Given what has emerged so far from parliament’s Ad Hoc committee and the Madlanga commission into allegations of corruption and criminality in the police and the justice system – and with more revelations likely to come – one thing is becoming painfully clear: as a nation, we have failed our whistle-blowers.
Some of them have lost their lives. Others have lost their livelihoods, their reputations, their families, and the very sense of safety that every citizen is entitled to under our democracy.
Many now live in hiding, under constant threat and in fear of imminent death. Their only “crime” was to tell the truth – to shine light into the darkest corners of our institutions.
Yet, while the public remains absorbed by the daily drama of who said what, who is lying, and who might still be exposed, one undeniable truth stands out: we would not know half of what we know today if not for the bravery of those who dared to blow the whistle. The entire edifice of state capture, corruption and moral decay would have remained hidden were it not for ordinary men and women who chose integrity over comfort.
And so, while commissions sit and politicians pontificate, the real heroes – the whistle-blowers – suffer in silence, abandoned by the very system they sought to protect.
But beyond this moral failing lies another equally disturbing truth. What we have witnessed so far from people occupying some of the most powerful offices in our country has revealed a deep crisis of leadership.
Whether through incompetence, negligence or deliberate indifference, the picture painted is one of individuals utterly unfit for the responsibilities they carry. If their apparent indolence was a strategy – a calculated show of contempt for the public – then it succeeded only in deepening our despair.
At best, their performance has been dismal; at worst, it has been a national embarrassment.
We are, quite frankly, in a worse situation than we ever imagined. The rot runs deeper than many of us believe.
Many years ago, at the dawn of our democracy, I remember a conversation with my erstwhile boss Professor Mafa Sejanamane, a scholar of democracy and governance.
He warned that if we were not vigilant, the very freedoms we celebrated would one day become the cloak beneath which corruption and mediocrity would flourish. Today, I understand the full weight of his words.
As we navigate these revelations, may we not lose sight of the moral courage of those who risked everything for truth. Their plight should move us beyond sympathy to action – to demand stronger protections, accountability, and a culture that values integrity over impunity.
Because if whistle-blowers continue to fall unheard and unprotected, then the death of truth itself cannot be far behind.
• Mashiapata is an independent research consultant
