Whistleblowers are “agents of justice”, but in South Africa, they are more likely to be persecuted and assassinated than honoured and protected. Now civil society has had enough: 27 international and local civil society groups have joined forces to demand that the South African government protects its “Human Rights Defenders”. Today (19 October) the Human Right Defenders (HRD) Gathering hands over its memorandum to government. One of those organisations is groundWork whose Robby Mokgalaka tells BizNews that just one grass roots organisation has lost about 25 members, “shot and killed in execution style”. Another activist was killed in cold blood in her own house by five men in front of a 13-year old nephew. Yet another was killed by two men impersonating police officers “in his own house in front of his seven-year-old”. He speaks of an entire community living in fear because they do not know if the hitmen live among them. “…they have eyes and ears…friends. So the moment one person…speaks out and says I want to reveal or I want to tell who actually did what, that person might disappear.” – Chris Steyn
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