Whistleblowers Act excludes private media

He said while the aim of the bill is to encourage people to report possible practices of corruption, whistleblowers must be highly protected from possible victimisation. Therefore the government has no guarantee that the media will protect the whistleblowers especially the private media, which the government has no control over, Makgalemele said. He said the media survives by making reports public, which may be against what the Act seeks to achieve.

Makgalemele’s comments were a response to a suggestion from MP for Gaborone Central, Phenyo Butale who had called on the assistant minister to consider the possibility of including the media in the list of persons to whom or institution to which disclosure of impropriety may be made. Butale, a former journalist, deliberated on how the media has made significant contributions to the fight against corruption in the country. He said it is therefore appropriate that they also be included in the institutions to which disclosure of impropriety may be made to strengthen them to continue with their work.