Public Interest SA Commends GPAA Acting CEO’s Halt of Whistleblower Witch-Hunt

Johannesburg, Sunday, 14 September 2025 — Public Interest SA welcomes the decisive intervention by the newly appointed Acting CEO of the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA), Job Stadi Mngomezulu, to halt the patently misguided probe targeting courageous whistleblowers who exposed alleged wrongdoing within the agency.

We view this step as an important affirmation of the fundamental principle that whistleblowers must be protected, not persecuted. Attempts to expend pensioners’ resources to fund a “witch-hunt” were not only unconscionable but also a gross abuse of power. Pension funds exist to safeguard the financial security of public servants and their dependents, not to shield corrupt actors from exposure.

While we commend Mngomezulu for his assurance that intimidation will not be tolerated under his leadership, it is equally imperative that GPAA acts with urgency to hold accountable those implicated in the egregious irregularities flagged in internal audit findings. Merely halting the witch-hunt is not enough; South Africans deserve to see consequence management in action.

We further call on National Treasury’s Office of the Accountant-General, which is already seized with this investigation, to ensure a rigorous, transparent, and time-bound process that culminates in appropriate sanctions against those who abused their positions of trust.

The fight against corruption demands that we shift the focus away from silencing truth-tellers and instead direct resources towards prosecuting those who loot public funds. Protecting whistleblowers is not only a legal and ethical imperative but also a practical necessity in curbing systemic corruption.

“Public servants and pensioners should never have to watch their hard-earned resources squandered on persecuting whistleblowers. We call on the GPAA to restore trust by holding wrongdoers accountable and ensuring that whistleblowers are celebrated, not victimised, for their courage,” says Tebogo Khaas, chairperson of Public Interest SA.

Public Interest SA remains steadfast in advocating for accountability, transparency, and the protection of those who act in the public interest.

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