Abstract
This article investigates the perceptions of public service employees regarding the role of whistle-blowing in local government. Whistle-blowing has received increased attention and support as a means of detecting and correcting wrongdoing in organisations. Yet, as this case study discusses, the absence of whistle-blower protection measures and fear of reprisal and job loss deter potential witnesses from reporting wrongdoing in the workplace. A mixed research method approach was employed to undertake the study. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to public servants employed within the South-East District Council (SEDC) and literature related to corruption and whistle-blowing was reviewed. The findings indicate that public service employees strongly support the role whistle-blowing has to play in curbing corruption in the workplace, particularly if the corrupt activity could potentially threaten people’s lives and suppress social justice. However, the absence of whistle-blower protection measures was cited as the most significant impediment to reporting wrongdoing. The article proposes the need for the SEDC to adopt effective policies and procedures that place a strong emphasis on providing protection for employees to disclose misconduct and fraudulent conduct.
Highlights
Whistle-blowing is considered to be amongst the most effective, if not the most effective, means to expose and remedy corruption, fraud and other types of wrongdoing in the public and private sectors (Wolfe et al 2014)
Building on the existing literature of public service motivation (PSM), this study investigates the perceptions of public service employees towards the role of whistle-blowing in the public sector
The findings show that a majority of employee respondents (82%) have a ‘positive’ perception towards the role whistleblowing has to play in the workplace
Summary
Whistle-blowing is considered to be amongst the most effective, if not the most effective, means to expose and remedy corruption, fraud and other types of wrongdoing in the public and private sectors (Wolfe et al 2014). The most recent attempt to strengthen the country’s national anti-corruption strategy was the enactment of the Whistle-blowing Act in 2016. Afrobarometer 2015; Mfundisi 2008) have highlighted the perception that corruption is problematic at the national and local government level in Botswana. The fact that the Government of Botswana is the largest procurer of goods and services results in a significant increase in opportunities for corruption. According to the DCEC (2015), some officials have found a way of colluding with service providers to engage in corrupt practices, such as application of double standards, falsification of transactions involving public funds, payment for undelivered goods, incidences of undeclared conflicts of interest and highly inflated prices
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