Another high profile whistleblower gunned down: How safe are those who speak out?

Community activist and whistleblower Pamela Mabini, who was instrumental in the fight against Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso and others, has been assassinated.

The ministry of justice and constitutional development said Mabini was gunned down by unknown assailants in the driveway of her home in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape province on Friday.

The 46 year old had reportedly survived a previous shooting attempt on her life in May 2018. She had also frequently received intimidating messages warning about her advocacy.

Despite these, she regularly attended and assisted the alleged victims of Omotoso, who faces human trafficking, rape and sexual assault charges.

Death of a whistleblower

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi said she was “deeply saddened” by Mabini’s murder and hailed her vital role in supporting victims in the rape and trafficking cases against Omotoso.

The killing has again sparked a debate on the protection offered to whistleblowers after several high-profile murders in the last few years alone.

Kubayi assured the public that her department was committed to ensuring the safety of court users, court officials, presiding officers, community activists, witnesses and whistle-blowers.

She acknowledged that more could be done and that efforts were under way to strengthen legal protections, including reviewing legislation to close loopholes.

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Is it worth reporting a crime?

Underreporting is common in a country where crime has become a way of life and conviction rates are low.

A 2012 StatsSA study found individual crimes tend to be less frequently reported than household crimes, with consumer fraud (26.3%) the least likely crime to be reported. Worryingly, more than half of the assaults were not reported.

The Institute for Security Studies later remarked on these statistics, saying that: “Increasingly, victims of crimes are not reporting their incidents to the police.” It said that most victims of robberies felt police would or could not do anything about their case. A sentiment that may be shared in other crimes.

A Victims of Crime survey just over a decade later found underreporting had become more widespread.

ALSO READ: Less than half of South Africans would report a crime if they witnessed one – Stats SA

In 11 years, reporting on sexual offences went from 94.2% to 67.5%. In other words, in 2011 nearly all sexual offences were reported, while in 2022/23 almost a third weren’t.

Reporting of assault did increase by 4.2 percentage points, but still hovered around 50% mark, signaling that around half of assaults will likely not be reported.

Still, the minister urged whistle-blowers to “not to be deterred” and keep reporting crimes.

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