Johannesburg – State capture whistleblower and author, Athol Williams, has left South Africa over growing safety concerns that have been exacerbated by the assassination of Babita Deokaran.
Williams blew the whistle on companies and people involved in state capture and testifies before the Zondo Commission.
Deokaran, who was whistleblower who spoke about the Gauteng Health Department’s PPE scandal, was shot dead outside her home in the south of Johannesburg in August after dropping her child at school in what was believed to have been a hit.
In a statement released on Sunday night, Williams said that he realized after Deokaran’s assassination that the authorities were choosing not to protect whistleblower.
He said that with no government witness protection, even after implicating 39 parties in his testimony, he had decided to leave the country for his safety.
“Knowing that my government offers me no protection after I’ve acted in the public interest is a disturbing reality. I implicated 39 parties in my testimony so threats could come from many places. After receiving warnings from trusted allies and a civil society organisation about a coordinated effort against me, I took the sad step to leave home, again without any help,” he wrote in a statement.
“We have a very dangerous situation in South Africa where we accept the narrative that only a few bad apples are involved in state capture. The reality is that there are many important and influential people who we revere in society, who we offer awards to, who sit on boards and committees and lead grand initiatives and organisations, who are in fact enabling this capture and benefitting from it. The corrupted web stretches across our society and needs bold action to clear this out. It starts with each of us. Challenge those around you to act with conscience and with courage.
Leave a Reply